Red Like Your Eyes
by Alice Deathwalker
Summary: Notes: AU. Stiles is a runaway who's involved in a horrible car crash in Beacon Hills. Derek finds him and brings him back to his isolated home. Will Stiles stay and start a normal life or will his past catch up to him? Be warned, feels ahead.
1. Chapter 1

Red Like Your Eyes

Notes: AU with some uncomfortable topics. Be warned, feels ahead.

The last few months had been calm. The pack was strengthening and getting along, even listening to his directions which was a relief. Things started feeling normal, or whatever normal was, given the circumstances and now the rain, which had decided to pour bucket upon torrential bucket down upon Beacon Hills, had left the whole town quiet and indoors.

He was halfway through a set of arm curls when he heard it. In the distance he listened to the sound of a car losing control in the distance, his ears picking up the swerve of tires skidding against slippery asphalt, followed shortly by a scream and then a sickening crash. Without a second thought, his inner wolf alerting him that this was something important and of the essence, he rushed out of his front door and into the wet undergrowth. He followed the source of the sound, a car horn blaring out into the night, his chest reverberating with the thudding of his heart.

As he approached, he saw a grey jeep that had seen better days practically split down the middle by the trunk of a large tree. Like a siren song, the car horn slowly quieted itself and died off in a pathetic series of ear splitting squeals. Derek approached quickly and opened the passenger side door, which even with his strength, took a few pulls. Inside he saw two dormant figures; in the driver's seat lay a slim male no more than twenty years old with several dark bruises on his face. One particularly nasty contusion on his forehead where he must had made contact with the steering wheel had already turned the color of a ripe eggplant. The young man's heartbeat was slow, but steady indicating that he would live. The small girl in the passenger's seat looked to be around five or six years old, with blonde curls that ran down her back. She was in far worse shape, the indented hood of the jeep embedded in her abdomen resulting in her breath being shallow and waning. He could tell that her heart beat was fading quickly and smelled the sweet coppery scent of fresh blood which was pooling at her feet.

Derek pushed the intruding metal away, the jeep letting out a harsh grinding sound as its insides resumed their original position. He looked over the young girl, locating the deep gash where the blood had blossomed red across her white sweatshirt and jeans. Derek slowly extricated her from the wreckage and then retrieved the young man, laying them side by side in the bushy undergrowth. He returned to the jeep and shut off the engine and looked in the distance to see if help was arriving. The rain poured down incessantly, the large drops making splattering sounds as they hit the asphalt, and he knew no one would pass through for the remainder of the night. His stomach knotted and his wolf bristled in frustration. He returned to the pair and balked when he saw the young girl's body surrounded by a fresh pool of red. Derek looked sadly at the pair and listened as the girl's breathing slowly gave way, his mind racing, searching for a proper conclusion. The girl gasped out a breath and her heart gave one last beat before silencing itself completely. Without thinking, Derek rolled up the girl's sweater, revealing her pale torso and bit down with intention.

He stepped back and watched as the girl's body remained immobile, her pale skin already draining of any remaining color as her body became a corpse. The alpha looked away dejectedly, his wolf howling in despair. This was the part he hated. Derek returned to the road, letting the water calm him down, brushing the hair out his face. He returned to the jeep in hopes of finding any personal affects to identify the pair and as he reached into the car, he heard it. The slow but steady rhythm of a restarting pulse. When he returned, he saw the girl breathing in deep gasps and her wounds slowly healing on their own. She was reborn a wolf.

XXXXXXX

Stiles woke up with a headache the size of China and a sharp, throbbing pain in his side. He rolled over slowly in the comfortable bed and warm blankets with a groan. Stiles blinked open his eyes expecting to see the sterile white ceiling of a hospital and went still when he saw wooden beams instead. When he rose slowly, trying to stifle the cries that were threatening to escape his lips, he realized that he was only wearing his boxer shorts. His nipples hardened against the cold air outside of the thick blankets though the cold woke Stiles up quickly, allowing him to survey his surroundings. The room was large and sparely decorated. There was a large cabinet and a bedside table. A lamp and a large rug served as the only other furnishings alongside a chair where his clothes were folded neatly in a pile.

He walked slowly towards the chair, each movement bringing their own set of discomfort. Stiles was about to reach for his pants when the door opened slowly to reveal a tall, muscular man with dark hair. He entered holding a tray filled with eggs and bacon accompanied by a cup of steaming coffee. A bottle of Ibuprofen sat on the edge of the it, alerting Stiles' aching body to a source of tangible relief.

"You're up." Derek spoke with an assessing smile.

"Where's Gracie?" Stiles asked edging away from the man like he was a serial killer.

"She's in the other room." Derek continued slowly putting the tray on the cabinet.

"Where am I? Who are you?" Stiles spouted.

"You're in Beacon Hills and my name is Derek. What's yours?" He responded, his eyes landing on Stiles pink nipples.

Stiles thought quickly, and replied with "Grant."

"I brought you breakfast. If you need anything, let me know Grant." Derek finished

"I need to see Gracie" Stiles asked quickly.

"Of course. Get dressed and eat first though. You need to get your energy up."

Stiles nodded as Derek closed the door behind him. He quickly shucked on his pants and t-shirt, pulling the sleeves down around his fingers, grimacing when he realized that Derek had probably seen the cuts on his wrists. He pushed his feet into his shoes and began eating, his mind speeding at a million miles a minute. He frowned in pain and took two pain pills with some coffee.

Hi remembered the horrific event that had landed them in their present predicament. Gracie had begged him not to drive in the rain but they had no choice, they were already in trouble and staying longer in the last town would have got them found out.

His plan was totally screwed up now. He needed to find Gracie and get out of there stat.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	2. Chapter 2

Red Like Your Eyes

Stiles walked quietly with the breakfast tray in hand, looking around at the immense corridors constructed out of dark wood. He reached a stairwell and descended them slowly onto the first floor and kept walking until he reached a kitchen, where the bright rays of morning light were shining through, warming the otherwise gloomy interior. He found Derek, a black shirt stretching over his muscular frame, hovering over a large stove, cooking breakfast from the smells that wafted towards him. His stomach gave him away with a loud rumble and Derek turned with nod. His eyes fell on the tray Stiles was holding and he reached over and pulled it from him.

"You didn't need to bring it down."

"It's fine."

Stiles stared past the kitchen at the living room which was equally as large and impressive.

"Do you live here alone?" He asked lowly, grimacing when he touched the bandages on his forehead, running his hands over the soft material that covered the dried over gash.

"Yeah." Derek replied, his attention returning to the mountain of sausages and eggs on the flame. Stiles stilled at the response. The dude was a serial killer, rapist, or an axe murderer. Shit. As if he could read minds, Derek responded with:

"I'm not a serial killer; I inherited this house from my parents."

"Oh."

Well where were his parents? He wasn't in his sixties with a beer gut and sagging skin, he was built and as perfect as a human could be. It was rather unnerving, but that's how the best killers were. He probably killed his mother and father one dark night and dumped their bodies in a lake. Yeah. Dude was majorly creepy. Stiles had never known anyone who lived alone in a house this large and was happy about it. Empty houses were scary houses, he would know.

A knock at the back door broke the awkward silence and Stiles panicked, looking for somewhere to hide. He was determined to duck beneath a counter when the door swung open and a guy around his age entered. He waved at Stiles and smiled from under a curly mop of hair and Stiles surveyed him like a hawk as he entered and took a seat at the counter.

"Dude, whose jeep, is that out back?" Scott asked as Derek put a plate of food in front of the smiling youth and then returned with another for him.

"It's totally beat up. You gonna fix it up?" He continued totally oblivious to the mortified look on Stiles' face.

"It's mine" Stiles spoke breaking his silence.

"Oh no joke" Scott responded, his eyes going wide. He popped a piece of bacon into his mouth before rubbing his hand on his pant leg and held it out with a warm smile "I'm Scott."

"Hi. Grant" Stiles responded, remembering to keep his alias.

"So how did you do that?" Scott asked nodding towards the door.

"Last night."

"Oh man, driving in the rain out here is not a good idea." Scott continued, surveying Stiles in a way that made him feel uncomfortable to say the least.

"Yeah" Stiles nodded wondering if he and Gracie could make it on foot.

"You think you could help him out?" Scott asked in Derek's direction and Stiles bristled at the kind gesture. Who were these people and why were they being so helpful? The entire scene was making his skin crawl. People weren't this nice. This wasn't real.

"I could try and make some repairs" Derek spoke with a shrug and Stiles nodded thinking of a plan B. He began eating slowly alongside the two. A moment or so later the two stiffened slightly, though Stiles could tell that they were trying to pretend that nothing was afoot. Scott opened his mouth in an attempt to speak when a knock came at the front door.

Derek moved quickly to answer it and they listened in silence.

"Morning Mr. Hale." A sturdy voice echoed through the house.

"Morning." Derek responded.

Hale. The name struck a chord in Stiles' conscience.

HALE

_Derek Hale_. Stiles' mind whirred as it tried to fill in the blanks. He stared to freak out. He was probably related by blood to that man.

"We've recently gotten news that two under aged runaways who were spotted passing through Beacon Hills. Would you have by any chance seen anything?" The voice continued. Stiles' blood ran cold. He looked up from his plate to see Scott staring at him.

"No I haven't seen anything." Derek spoke, his tone calm and smooth.

"Well you wouldn't mind if we took a quick look around your property?" The voice continued in a nauseatingly polite manner.

"Do you have a warrant?" Derek responded, anger seeping into his once even tone.

"Well it's a friendly visit Mr. Hale. You wouldn't want us to all the way back to the station and return with a warrant just for something like this now would you?" The voice continued with a sardonic laugh that struck Stiles again.

He didn't recognize the voice but he recognized the laugh. It was Deputy Corston's. He remembered that sickening laugh from when he had visited the station as a child and how even at a young age he felt distrust towards the man. Stiles jumped when he felt Scott's hand on his shoulder and turned to see him holding a finger over his lips. Stiles nodded and followed Scott out of the back door, which was thankfully still ajar and the two ran stealthily into the woods behind Derek's house. When they had sufficiently entered into the brush and the sounds of the wilderness had taken over, Scott spoke in a hushed tone. "I'll be right back" Stiles nodded his panic rising again. Anymore shock and he wouldn't be able to control the panic attack that was bubbling up inside of him. Scott turned with an appraising smile as if sensing his uneasiness.

"Wait here ok?" he whispered squeezing his shoulder with a smile. Stiles nodded. He watched as Scott disappeared back towards the Hale house and was shocked to realize how massive the structure actually was. It was something out of a movie, a huge compound that could house a small army, with two stories and several windows indicating different rooms. He peered into the back yard to find his poor jeep practically smashed in from the front. How could that even be repaired? They would have to go on foot or steal a car to continue. The more he thought about it the more futile it seemed. His breathing shallowed and he clung to a tree to give him some leverage.

He heard a soft rustling as Scott reappeared holding a sleeping Gracie in his arms. He handed her over to him and Stiles took her gratefully, dismissing the fact that she was still sleeping soundly amongst the commotion, a layer of sweat glowing over her pale features.

"A sound sleeper huh?" Scott whispered with a goofy smile. Stiles nodded, calming instantly at having his partner in crime back. Scott turned and wandered back towards the house. For some reason Scott seemed really cool. Stiles didn't really know him, but he felt like given a different time and place, they could have been great friends.

A good twenty minutes later, after a few failed attempts at waking Gracie, who seemed to be sleeping like a Disney princess waiting for true loves kiss and making his arms ache in the process, Scott returned and waved him towards the house.

"They're gone." Stiles let out a sigh of relief.

As he approached the house he noticed that his Jeep had been moved.

"I moved it into the woods where no one would find it." Scott added.

"Thanks."

'Of course man.'

Scott and Stiles entered the house and Stiles put Gracie down on one of the couches in the living room stretching his hands out, trying to release some of the strain from holding her for so long.

"Corston is really out for you isn't he?" Scott spoke at Derek who seemed to be closing and opening his hands into fists, his face red with anger.

"It was a total invasion of privacy. I have half a mind to call a lawyer on him!" Derek growled angrily.

Scott looked over at Stiles then gave a small smile.

"Alright I'm out. Take care of yourselves." He turned and nodded to Derek and left out the back door silently. The two were left together in silence and Stiles knew the questions would start.

"Do you want to let me know why you two were running away?" Derek asked quietly, his arms folded over his chest. Stiles thought quickly.

"We were just visiting. I wanted to get something from my old house."

"In Beacon Hills?"

"Yeah I used to live here. A long time ago."

"They said you were a runaway.'

"Well Gracie really wanted a toy I used to own and I promised it to her. So we just made a road trip out of it." He shrugged trying to act like it was nothing.

Stiles laughed inwardly at his ability to lie so seamlessly, it was like a sick skill he had learned through several years in the foster system. He didn't care that he was lying like a dog because he didn't trust this guy no matter how nice he was being. There was something off about the whole place and Gracie's hypersomnia was downright eerie.

"What are you planning to do?" Derek spoke his voice taking on a cold edge. Stiles met his eyes, wondering if he could tell that he was lying, but brushed it off as lying was imperative to their survival.

"Would you like to call someone? Your parents or guardian?" Derek insisted taking a step towards him.

"No no it's ok. As soon as Gracie wakes up" and Stiles wished that she'd get up now "We'll be out of your hair. Thanks for everything" Stiles finished.

'You're going to go on foot?" Derek continued staring at him.

"Well yeah. My car's pretty much dead." Stiles leveled.

"You're not going to get far. You should get it repaired."

"You said you could try." Stiles countered.

"I guess. It's better than nothing" Derek responded regaining his cool.

"I mean, no its fine, we'll find another way to get around. Don't worry about it."

'You sure you're not in trouble" Derek asked as Stiles felt his pulse stir and beat rapidly through his veins.

"Yeah. Just a misunderstanding. We'll head back up. No worries." Stiles continued weakly knowing that if the cops had been notified that it was a big deal and they were in trouble. On another more worrisome note, Gracie wasn't waking up. He wondered if she was in a coma or had a concussion. He tried not to think about it. What about if she never woke up, would he go to jail? Or maybe a juvenile detention center where he'd be beaten up for the next thirteen months until he was legal. His heart beat pounded in his ears and he willed himself to relax. He looked over at Derek whose expression had softened somewhat. He looked almost disappointed and Stiles couldn't understand why.

Stiles sat on the couch as the man walked somewhere into the house. He had to think. There was no way Derek had just bought the silly lies he had just spouted. He had to make more of an effort.

He walked further into the house and found Derek doing laundry over a large washer. He looked up when Stiles approached "You're right. I should probably call my foster center. Can I use your phone?" He asked. Derek nodded and headed towards the kitchen where he took a phone from the kitchen counter and handed it to him. He dialed in a number, making it up as he went and let it dial. He gave Derek a cheery smile and talked when it picked up. "Hello? Hey it's Grant, Yeah Gracie and I are fine. Sorry we didn't call last night, my phone died. Yeah we'll be back in a day or so. Yeah. Ok bye." Stiles finished ignoring the confused woman on the other end who had hung up after Stiles had rambled on.

Stiles handed the phone back to Derek who stared at him with a stony expression.

"Thanks.'

Derek didn't have to do a redial to know that Stiles was lying. He had heard the other person's voice and knew it was a lie.

Stiles sat back down on the couch watching as Gracie slept peacefully like sleeping beauty. The more they stayed in Beacon Hills, the greater their chances of getting caught were.

"Grant." Stiles turned still adjusting to the name.

"Take her up to her room, I'll show you where it is." Derek spoke. Stiles nodded, picking up the only person left in his life.

TO BE CONTINUED…..

**Notes:** What do you guys think so far? Lots of things going on and Stiles is getting in deep with the lies…


	3. Chapter 3

Red Like Your Eyes 

CH 3

Night came quickly and Stiles for one was exhausted. Derek had avoided him for much of the day and in a weird way it bothered him that the guy was being moody all of a sudden. Stiles was even more annoyed at the fact that he seemed to care. His world had long been cold and he wanted a new start; a new place where the sun always shone and he could smile knowing that he would be alright.

Dinner came in the form of a frozen pizza and a salad and Stiles was grateful for the food, even thanking his host for the first time. After the quiet meal, they sat on the couch watching something on TV, which was eerily normal for the given circumstance, and Stiles couldn't help but relax slightly into the soft cushions, his stomach full.

"I could drop you two off at the train station" Derek spoke suddenly, startling him from the other end of the couch.

"Oh yeah? Man that would be so great." Stiles smiled, a wave of relief washing over him.

"Sure, when Gracie wakes up we'll go."

Stiles grimaced having just watched Gracie as she slept silently, her breathes in the darkness both slow and graceful. How was she still sleeping? Maybe she was in a coma? Yeah. She was definitely in a coma, probably with brain damage. He began to feel light headed at the thought. Maybe she was slowly dying from some sort of spine injury. He would be sent to jail for sure, a fugitive and a murderer. This had turned out just _great_.

"Why are you doing this?" Stiles asked quietly.

Derek let out a breath.

"I know what it's like."

"What?"

"Running away. It was pretty brave to actually come out this far" Derek conceded.

"I don't know if brave's the right word" Stiles admitted, the honesty sounding strange in the dark room.

"Well you and…your sister?" Derek asked and Stiles nodded.

"You two are really lucky to have each other."

Stiles nodded. "Yeah" He swallowed as a wave of guilt swept over him.

"Do you think. Could you take her to the emergency ward?" Stiles spoke quietly, trying not to show that he hated hospitals along with the fact that he would be caught as soon as Gracie's records were pulled. He ignored his heart as it slapped against his chest.

Derek looked troubled but quickly gave him a warm smile.

"She's going to be fine. Just give her a little more time" Derek spoke softly as if reading his mind again. Stiles tried to feel comforted, but nothing sat well with him. Maybe he was too mistrusting. Maybe there were nice people out there. He glanced over at the man as he flipped channels. Even though he was being nice and kind, the guy was still mega creepy; he had dark eyes and dark hair with an angular face and constant stubble. Maybe in another context he would be good looking, even handsome, but Stiles didn't trust the way he just blended into the shadows and the eerie feeling that his eyes changed color when his mood changed.

"I'm going to go get another drink" Derek spoke lifting up his empty glass. "You want anything?"

Stiles shook his head.

Derek walked into the kitchen and gritted his teeth. He was beginning to get angry, his wolf baying and restless knowing that Stiles was lying through his teeth and so freely. This was a habit that had to be broken and quickly, that's if Stiles would stay.

XXXXX

Sleep wouldn't come to Stiles as he lay in the soft bed. He thought over the occurrences' that had landed him in the strange compound. He was glad that he had cut up both of their identity cards and any other traceable information and cashed out any money they had before coming into Beacon Hills but that meant creeper dude could kill them both and dump the bodies with no problem.

Stiles sighed, what he wouldn't give for a razor.

He still had a glimmer of hope that things would work out and that they would be able to escape. In a few months he would be legal and able to do his own thing. Until then, they would have to stay on the run. He was drifting off to sleep when he remembered something that made goose bumps traverse his skin.

Hale. That last name. It was _so_ familiar. Stiles willed the memories to disappear but they returned like floating debris from the wreckage that was his life.

Stiles remembered the picture vividly, sitting in a folder with the investigation files that his father had stacked away out of his reach. He had opened it to see his mother's body torn in two. He had screamed and cried when he saw it but it was even worse when his father found him and yelled at him, telling him that he shouldn't have been looking at his work files in the first place.

His father had held him after for what seemed like forever. The attack was so gruesome that his father had not been able to recover from the devastation.

When he returned to school after the funeral, there were rumors that a wolf man was roaming the town and that the Hale's were the ones responsible for unleashing them on the town. The prime suspect, Peter Hale had quickly disappeared after the news broke and the case fell into the unsolved category and was quickly forgotten by the rest of the town except for Stiles and his father.

A year or so later, his father was buried next to his mother in the old Beacon Hills cemetery. Alcohol had consumed his life and he had eventually deteriorated into nothing, leaving Stiles all alone.

Peter Hale. Derek Hale. They had to be related. The little pieces began to add up in his restless mind and Stiles saw the dark figure approaching them in the car as he passed out, it's eyes glowing a blood red. The image now a new nightmares to add on to his old ones.

Wolf man. Were wolf. There were wolves in Beacon Hills.

He fell asleep, his mind filled with nightmares that set his heart racing. He woke up before dawn, the sky a pale blue. He rushed to the bathroom hacking up regurgitated pizza, the contents tasting acidy and bitter as they fell out of his mouth.

There were _wolves _in Beacon Hills.

In the blue light that spilled through the windows of the house, he made his way downstairs after checking on Gracie who was sleeping like an angel. He padded into the kitchen and decided to put his theory to the test. He took out a skillet and some eggs, cracking about five of them onto the heated center, watching as they started to bubble and cook slowly. He had butter and some salt on the counter but wanted to make sure he'd need a few more ingredients to finish up.

He looked over at the array of knives hanging on a rack and chose an especially sharp looking chef's knife with a dangerous looking tip. It took all of two minutes for Derek to appear at the entrance, just like Stiles had suspected.

"You're up early. Cooking." The man spoke with a small smile.

"Yeah" Stiles nodded with his own smile, feeling oddly nostalgic as if people, normal people, woke up and cooked breakfast for each other. The moment passed quickly as Derek crowded in.

"Need any help?"

Stiles shook his head, planning his move.

"No, but could you get out some tomatoes, chives, and peppers if you have any?" Stiles responded with a small smile.

Derek nodded with a smile of his own, making him feel weird inside. He dismissed it and slowly picked up the knife as he heard the fridge door opened and Derek rummaging through it.

"Well no chives, but I got tomatoes and some mushrooms. No peppers either." Derek spoke.

"Ok great" Stiles, turning quickly, knife in hand. He watched intently as the blade sliced through Derek's lower arm, leaving a ribbon of red blood in its wake. Time seemed to stand still as he watched the incision wound as it quickly healed over, leaving no evidence of an injury.

Stiles' eyes narrowed and he swiveled the knife in an aggressive posture.

"You!'

Derek met his gaze in an odd, somewhat scared look of his own.

Stiles lunged at him quickly, and though Derek was caught off guard he was able to move out of the way in time. Stiles was no fighter but years in foster homes and centers surrounded by rough kids with shitty backgrounds had gotten him pretty good at defending himself, and this was the time and place to do so.

"Grant look. I'm not going to hurt you."

Stiles sneered. "Hurt me? I don't think so." His heart pounding like a jack hammer.

He lunged again and Derek swerved quickly to miss him, but Stiles was ready this time, his reversed the blade and sliced into Derek's side. He looked up to see Derek's eyes a bright, fierce red.

Derek's movements were a blur. Before he knew it, Stiles was slammed against a wall and the knife was painfully ripped out of his grasp.

"Let go of me!" He screamed angrily.

"You ripped my shirt" Derek growled, his voice sounding animalistic.

"Let go! Now!" Stiles yelled louder watching as fresh blood trickled on the floor in bright red spots.

"Or what, you'll call the cops?" Derek continued, his voice losing its feral edge and taking on a sinister sneer.

Stiles deflated. He felt so helpless.

Derek growled irritably. he sighed and let go, tossing the knife into the sink where it clattered against some dishes.

"Don't do something like that again. Or you'll regret it." Derek spoke his eyes returning to their normal color. He took a few steps out of the room and into the house, his breathing heavy and angry.

"Stupid wolf." Stiles gritted under his breath, the words sharp and venomous. He kicked a wall in anger and felt hot tears prickling his skin.

"I heard that" Derek snarled, appearing before him, advancing menacingly. He was inches away and Stiles was ready for a fight when Derek turned suddenly, listening to a noise only he could hear in the distance. His body went stiff for a moment, each muscle straining. He turned and ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs, his heavy footsteps resounding through the otherwise quiet house.

Stiles gasped.

"Gracie!"

Stiles bounded up the stairs taking two at a time, reaching the second floor as his legs burned at the exertion. Stiles pushed open the door to where Gracie had been sleeping and found Derek staring at a corner of the darkened room where a sound that could scare the bravest of souls was being emitted. It sounded like a cross between a child's scream and an animal's growl, emanating from under the bed. Stiles watched in horror as Derek turned, his eyes glowing red. He could hear his heart beat in his ears.

"Calm down." Derek spoke, the scream-growls growing in intensity from under the bed. If this was a horror movie, now was the time to cover your eyes he thought bitterly.

Stiles looked as something crawled out from under the bed, shaking in agony. He saw the blonde curls and watched as the body writhed, the corners of her mouth foaming like a rabid dog. Fur had sprouted in various areas and she turned to the pair and roared angrily, her eyes glowing a ghastly green, her mouth filled with razor sharp teeth, red from fresh blood.

Derek stepped in front of Stiles and slowly approached Gracie, his eyes glowing like embers. Gracie had truly transformed into a demon from one of those horror movies.

Suddenly Gracie screeched out loudly, tearing at her clothing, revealing dark fur as she crawled on all fours. She quickly gained her composure, stretching out like a cat, before growling at Derek who was trying unsuccessfully, to calm her down, slowly nearing her in soft steps. Instead of relaxing, she flailed and bounded over the bed possessed. She screeched out one last warning and launched herself through the bedroom window.

The ear splitting crash of breaking glass was deafening. Stiles trembled as he watched a fur covered creature disappearing into the woods on all fours.

Derek turned to him.

"Stay inside."

He bounded out of the window, dropping down two stories like it was the most natural thing to do, his body gliding gracefully in the morning light. Stiles watched as he disappeared into the green undergrowth.

Stiles felt like the room was spinning. He leaned against the wall trying to catch his breath.

TO BE CONTINUED…..

**Notes:** I'm sorry if it's a little dark, but promise it'll get better….


	4. Chapter 4

Red Like Your Eyes 

CH 4

Derek returned carrying a naked and sleeping Gracie in his arms. He peered into the house wondering where Stiles had gotten to, though his heart beat could be heard from half a mile away. He laid her down on the couch and covered her with his leather jacket, hoping to get her into something smaller to wear until he went shopping or had Lydia or Erica go out and get her something.

The sound of Stiles' heart beat increased in an erratic manner from in the kitchen and Derek steadied himself for another knife fight.

As he entered he found Stiles with phone in hand. The boy was flushed, struggling to breathe normally.

"I called the police!" He gasped waving the phone like a maniac.

"You little.." Derek snarled, half panicked that the kid would pass out and half terrified that he had actually done it. He was pretty sure that he was bluffing but now things had gotten intense. To say the least.

Stiles made a huffing sound before dropping the phone and began to collapse on the ground in a heap. Derek leapt forward and caught him before he hit the tiled floor and lifted him back to a standing position.

"Breath. Just breath." Derek spoke and let out a small sigh of relief when the boy did just that and regained some color.

"I'm sorry." Derek whispered slowly stroking his back, his wolf whining at the boy's pain. He watched as the boy stirred, shaking his head in sadness.

He stiffened, jerking his head towards him. "How could you? You freaking bastard!"

"I had no choice" Derek cut in showing teeth.

Stiles stopped. His expression went from hurt to angry again in a flash.

"You found some easy targets!" Stiles hissed "Two lone orphans out in the cold, no one would miss us."

Derek moved forward, towering over the boy just so the words would resonate.

"I had no _choice_." He repeated, his words cutting deep. The boy glared back a pained look on his face.

Derek let out a low, annoyed growl. "Do I need to make it any clearer?" He seethed quietly before turning and moving into the house. He returned a moment later like a blurry hurricane, snatching the phone off the ground and checking the call list, watching the boy as the realization hit him. He inwardly sighed in relief when he confirmed the boy's bluff, the phone's caller id showing only Scott's number.

He gripped the phone and walked back up the stairs, his wolf baying at the sound of quiet sobs coming from the kitchen.

XXXXX

Derek stomped into his bedroom and slammed the door shut. He pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed his eyes because it was a lot to take in so early in the morning. He tossed the phone onto his unkempt bed and paced his room.

That boy. He was so disrespectful, so rude, so _angry_. He didn't care about anything except his sister. In a way it was familiar, but he lied so easily that Derek couldn't even recognize when he was telling the truth. It was sending his senses into overdrive, driving a wedge between his human logic and his animalistic intuition. He was feeling scattered and tired.

The phone rang from the bed. Derek picked up quickly.

"What."

"How's everything going?" Scott's voice filtered through the receiver.

"How do you think?" Derek responded.

Scott took a breath before speaking. "What happened." He asked in an accusatory voice.

"You didn't hear the screams?" Derek continued in an irritated rumble.

"No. I'm at Alison's." Scott replied sounding distracted. There was a pause and a rustling on the other end.

"Derek what happened?"

"She woke up."

"Oh that's good. Right?" Scott asked unsurely.

"Not really. She woke up because she turned."

"Oh. But she's not even ten years old."

"I know."

"Is it because…." Scott trailed off, not wanting to say it. "Shit Derek." He announced in a low voice.

"Yes. Shit."

"How did he take it?'

"Oh you mean Grant?" Derek sneered.

"Derek." Scott leveled.

"Whatever" Derek huffed angrily running a hand through his hair.

"Give him some time man, he's a runaway who just found out that his sister's a werewolf. He's lost his whole world."

That hit Derek hard. He sighed and sat on the bed taking off his shoes, lying down with a groan.

"I shouldn't have done it."

The other end was silent. Derek felt that familiar burning sensation in his stomach. Scott spoke quietly.

"Either way you can't change it now."

"What was I supposed to do?"

"Maybe that's a conversation you should have with him." Scott provided.

Derek shut his eyes already annoyed with his beta and his logical thoughts.

"Besides, I don't remember us being on such great terms after I had been turned. Not so fun right?'

'Whatever. You're all a pain in the ass."

"You want me to come over and hang out? We're around the same age." Scott supplied.

Derek thought about it for a minute.

"No. he just seems like he needs some time alone."

"Ok. Well call me if you need anything. Later"

He tossed the phone onto his dresser and gazed into the dark. The boy had stopped crying. His wolf was whining, urging him to go and comfort him but it was too late. They hated each other.

XXXXX

Derek descended the stairs and flicked on a switch, flooding the living room with light. The boy lay curled up on the couch next to his sister who was back to sleeping like a log.

Derek walked through the room and stared out a window as the night reclaimed the land in darkness.

"What do you want for dinner?" He asked dutifully knowing the boy was awake.

No response.

"Fine. Starve for all I care."

Derek stomped to the kitchen and put some hot water on the boil.

"Stupid freak." He heard the boy murmur under his breath.

Derek turned swiftly and approached the couch.

"Want to say it to my face you little prick?" He spat.

Stiles' eyes flashed open and Derek saw how red they were.

"I didn't say anything." He countered uneasily, pulling away.

"Right" Derek sneered. "Say some smart shit again and I'll rip your throat out." He growled low in his throat.

The boy shrunk away from him, obviously terrified. He glared after Derek as he slunk away.

Derek laid the table out for two and ate quietly when the boy made no move to join him. He left the bowl of spaghetti and salad on the table and walked to the back door, shutting it behind him as he walked into the cool air breathing in the smell of the forest.

He shifted and ran into the night, letting his instincts take over and his need to forget forging to the front of his consciousness. In the back of his mind, he knew being aggressive and mean was not the way to win the two orphans over yet the sheer rudeness of the kid got under his skin.

He knew the kid was going through a lot but it just hurt when it was taken out on him. He knew he was part of the problem but wanted to help. He had helped.

The pack and trust. Two things a wolf honored more than anything. He had created discord in their tiny pack of two. He laid in the forest listening to the wind hum through the leaves. Maybe the boy would thank him in the future.

Derek returned well into the night to find some of the pasta gone from the bowl and the other plate, now dirty in the sink. He moved to the living room to find that both parties had moved. He heard Gracie's heart beat slow and rhythmic in her room and ventured up to Stiles' room.

He knocked gently and when he didn't get a response he opened it to find Stiles taking off his shirt.

"Sorry" Derek muttered feeling a pulse of heat spread through him at the display of creamy skin.

"Whatever" Stiles muttered, sitting on his bed.

"You can leave once Gracie has learned how to control her abilities." He offered.

Stiles was motionless looking at the dark trees outside his window

"How long will that take." He asked quietly.

Derek wasn't sure but he knew that saying so would most likely lead to him being on the bad end of a knife or worse yet a constant muttering of expletives.

"A month, two if it's harder for her."

Stiles laughed derisively.

"So I'm. We're stuck here for two months until Gracie learns how to be a little wolf."

"It's really not that long' Derek countered. 'If you'd like you can move on and return later when she's ready to go."

Stiles bristled at that, his eyes piercing in his anger

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" He seethed.

"No." Derek felt himself losing the conversation. "It's just I know this is hard for you." He gritted out.

"So I'm a prisoner here till Gracie recovers?' Stiles continued his voice rising.

"You're not a prisoner"

"Hah yeah right. I can't go outside, I can't leave. News flash asshole. I'm a prisoner!"

"Call it what you want. You stay here till she learns how to control herself. You can learn to like it or suffer. I don't give a rat's ass!" Derek bellowed before slamming the door shut.

Derek walked as he heard something being smashed against a wall.

"Fucking teenagers" he groused running a hand through his hair.

XXXXX

Stiles woke to the feeling of soft curls tickling his nose. He turned to find Gracie curled up next to him, completely naked, one hand around his neck as she slept. Stiles sighed and cuddled with her, feeling her gentle heart beat and gentle breathes as she exhaled.

"You're going to be ok Gracie" he soothed, running a hand through her hair. She gently woke with a yawn.

"Sty where are we?"

"Far away" Stiles replied.

"Are we home?" she asked.

"No." he replied sadly.

"Are we ok?" She asked quietly

"Yeah, we're alright for now" Stiles responded.

"Your heart's beating really fast" Gracie whispered.

"Oh. Sorry."

Gracie gave him a peck on the cheek.

"I had a really bad dream" she whispered. "I thought you went away and I couldn't find you."

'That will never happen" Stiles responded firmly. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Gracie nodded and snuggled against his neck.

"Sty."

"Hmm."

"I'm hungry. I want food."

Stiles groaned as his stomach rumbled at the mention of food. He groaned as he leaned forward in bed and stumbled out glaring at the sunlight beaming in through the window. He put on his shirt and snuck on his shoes.

"Hurry Sty!' Gracie murmured running to the door and reaching to open it.

"Gracie stop!" Stiles squawked in indignation as he saw her naked form.

He quickly wrapped a sheet around her and tied it into a toga like fashion.

"Ok now you can go. You can't walk around without any clothes on. You know better than that." Stiles chided.

"This feels itchy" Gracie responded pouting.

"Too bad."

They ventured into the kitchen to find Derek as always puttering around, this time washing dishes.

"Who are you?" Gracie whispered staring up at him.

Derek broke out a smile and responded "I'm Derek. Who are you?"

"Gracie." She responded simply.

"Hi Gracie. Would you like some cereal?" he continued in a calm voice that made Stiles twitch.

Gracie nodded with a shy smile.

"Well have a seat and I'll get you some." Derek smiled warmly before opening up a cupboard and pulling out a box of cereal and two bowls.

He set them down and returned with a carton of milk.

"Sty can you help me?" Gracie whispered.

He nodded not taking his eyes off Derek as he continued doing dishes. He watched as Gracie poured herself some cereal and grabbed the milk carton and opened the lid. He angled it to pour and froze when he saw the pictures on the side of it. He tilted it to get a better look at them: the text above the black and white images read:

_Have you seen me? Genim 'Stiles' Stilinksi age 17 and Grace Potter age 6. If you have any information please call the missing child hotline._

"Do you need anything else Stiles?" A voice spoke pointedly cutting through his quiet shock. He looked up to see Derek staring at him, expression unreadable, with his arms crossed. He tossed the dish cloth onto the counter and exited out the back door, slamming it shut.

"Sty" Gracie spoke tugging at his sleeve. "You're hearts beating fast again. Are you ok?"

"Just eat." He mumbled, willing himself to breath. He poured the milk into her bowl, watching as the colorful pebbles rose against the sea of white liquid.

Now what?

TO BE CONTINUED…..


	5. Chapter 5

Red Like Your Eyes 

CH 5

Stiles woke up feeling like he had a hangover. He was a light sleeper by nature, but it was almost impossible now that the nightmares had returned. He never told anyone about them. Their answer was always medication, and he was tired of popping pills in the hopes that a chemical reaction somehow fixing the old wounds that never seemed to vanish. His restless minds forced him to walk through the dark house staring at the doors, wondering what they held. A clock on the wall told him that it was almost noon but he didn't care. Time seemed to stand still in the enormous cave of a house.

He checked on Gracie who was sleeping like the dead. He wondered if she'd ever been normal and shook his head sadly, knowing that she'd been changed forever.

He tried a door. It was locked. He ventured further and found a part of the quarters that seemed to be blocked off from the rest of the house. He tried a door in the corner of an eerie corridor and still had no luck.

He tried another and it opened.

Bingo.

He slowly opened the door cringing when it creaked and stared at the perfectly preserved room that had obviously belonged to a female. He stared at the dated Vogue magazines and the flowery bedspread. He peered at the photographs pasted together in a collage above the dresser showing happy, smiling people, probably friends and family members. There was one picture of a blonde girl holding a birthday cake and a younger version of a dark haired boy with the same green eyes smiling as he leaned in to blow out the candles.

Stiles recognized him. He looked so different. Happy. There was no sadness behind his eyes. The reflection of the mirror showed his reflection. His own eyes shared the same unhappiness. He traced the picture with his hands wondering what happened to them all.

"What the hell are you doing in here!?" A voice roared behind him and Stiles whipped around to see a pair of red eyes, furious.

"I'm sorry." He sputtered, his heart racing in shock.

"Get out!" Derek roared rounding him like a predator going in for the kill. And Stiles got out. He did what he had been doing for so long. He ran.

He rushed out back door and into the dark woods, tears burning his eyes. His legs trembled as the shock went through his system, the cold air hit his face and the intake scalded his lungs but he kept running. He sprinted through the forest until he reached the edge of an intersection overlooking a quiet street. He remembered Beacon Hills enough to know that he could follow the edge of the undergrowth and not be seen for a good while. His instincts told him that he needed to be out and away. A thought of leaving Gracie, the wolf girl, slithered into his mind and he shook it off in a frustrated huff.

He ran until the sound of noisy chatter met his ears and he peered through the trees to see a soccer field, the grass neatly maintained behind what looked like a high school. Stiles pulled the hoodie over his head and ventured towards it without thinking. Maybe part of him wanted to be found. Maybe part of him wanted to know what it was like to be normal. He pulled the sleeves past his wrists and walked up the stairs into the school building, absently chewing on one of the strings of his hoodie.

It was lunch time or so he thought as throngs of students walked towards the smell of warm food and Stiles was somehow pushed towards the large room filled with metal tables and chairs overlooking a courtyard and several other buildings.

He was jostled into a line in between two hungry teens and collected a meal of chicken tenders, salad and macaroni and cheese, the smell of the fresh food causing his stomach to rumble. When was the last time he ate? He didn't remember.

He was suddenly in front of a cashier who repeated"$5.50" in a bored voice.

"Oh. I"

Stiles searched through his pickets knowing very well he didn't have any money but trying for some reason to prolong his oncoming embarrassment.

"Do you have the money hun?" The cashier asked when Stiles came up with nothing, avoiding the glares of the hungry students behind him.

"Here you go" a hand held out a crisp ten dollar bill. Stiles looked to see a blonde boy with a terse smile waving the bill in front of the cashier's face.

The cashier took the bill and cashed it, handing the boy back his change.

"This way" the boy beckoned to a table near the back of the cafeteria. And stiles followed with his tray of food.

"Thanks" Stiles spoke and the boy just nodded in response.

Stiles sat down, staring at the guy's expensive clothing and unnaturally white teeth.

"I'm Jackson" he nodded and Stiles was about to respond with his own name when it was interrupted by an annoyed female voice

"You were meant to wait for me before getting food" and Stiles turned to see a pretty girl with auburn hair rolling her eyes as she sat down next to Jackson.

"This is Lydia" Jackson nodded and she held out her hand with a smile.

"I've heard so much about you" she spoke with a smile that sent his nervous system into a jittery fizzle. He watched awkwardly as they exchanged a kiss that was not appropriate for public viewing.

"What are you doing out?" Jackson asked after they had come up for air.

"I went for a walk." Stiles offered quietly

"He's not being an ass is he?" Lydia asked quietly. 'Do you want me to set him straight?" she continued as Jackson rolled his eyes at the suggestion.

"Don't worry about it dude." Jackson supplied. "Derek's not really the talkative type. Dude's got major issues if you ask. Ow!" He scowled as Lydia kicked him under the table.

"Jackson, you can take him home after lunch right?" Lydia asked in a pointed tone.

He nodded "Yeah. No problem."

"Good" she finished starting on her lunch, two portions of salad and a few chicken fingers.

"This is surprisingly good" she relented chewing on a breaded portion, the crumbs sticking to her lip gloss.

"What are you doing here?" Scott's voice hissed as he sat down next to Stiles.

"He wanted to take a tour of the school, what do you think?" Jackson responded with an unimpressed look. Three other teens approached with lunch trays and took seats at the table all staring at Stiles like he was ET and desperately needed to phone home before he got in major trouble.

Scott made the introductions. "Grant this is Erica, Boyd, and Isaac."

"Anymore room over here?" A voice spoke as another boy approached, his light brown skin glowing under the lights.

"That's Danny, he's also on the lacrosse team." Jackson spoke, making room for him.

"Lacrosse" Stiles asked.

"Yeah. We're pretty good too" Danny replied with a smile that hey, also made his nervous system fire off inappropriate signals to his nether regions.

The group started eating and Stiles relaxed in their comfortable company. Why couldn't he be stuck with one of them and not that brooding nightmare back at the house in the woods? Yeah, a cabin the woods, like those creepy horror movies. He blocked out the thoughts and ate with the rest of the group, even laughing at some of the jokes they cracked. Before long he was enjoying himself, actually smiling, exchanging shy glances with Danny and watching Lydia from the corner of his eye as she twirled her hair and checked her appearance in her compact.

It was so unfamiliar. It was so nice. It seemed so _ordinary, _whatever that was. Suddenly Stiles yearned for this more than anything. Maybe he had been running towards something.

Lunch was over before he knew it and he followed Jackson through a maze of buildings towards the soccer field.

"We need to cross it and we'll be in the parking lot. You'll have to lie down in the back of my car until we're back at Derek's" he spoke quietly. Stiles nodded feeling that familiar burn in his stomach. He didn't want to go back there. As if sensing his distress Jackson squeezed his shoulder with a smile.

"Just talk to him ok? He's a nice guy underneath the roughness."

Stiles gave him a weak smile as they kept walking. As they crossed over to the graveled lot, Jackson turned his head sharply to see Derek standing in the shadows and his pulse quickened.

"What are you doing here? I already texted you that I'd bring him back.'

'No time to explain" Derek gritted grabbing Stiles by the arm.

'Alright. Whatever" Jackson shrugged in a confused voice.

"Bye" he waved studying the two as they disappeared into the darkness of the forest. Stiles watched as Jackson walked back to the school, his figure getting smaller and smaller as they made their way into the undergrowth.

Stiles felt Derek's fingers tighten around his arm as they walked silently through the trees. He pulled them down suddenly and Stiles watched as they came across two police cruisers making a road block, a Sherriff at each lane holding up two photos to compare them to the passengers before letting them pass.

Stiles felt guilty. Suddenly the sound of a police dog barking from a cruiser alerted them. They watched as a k-9 scratched at the window of a cruiser sensing their presence. A deputy opened the door and the dog leapt out sniffing towards them.

'Damn it" Derek gritted out. He grabbed Stiles and hoisted him around his waist.

"What the!" Stiles started.

Derek covered his mouth with a warm hand. "Grab a hold of me." He mouthed and he released his hand when Stiles nodded in understanding.

Derek pulled Stiles onto his back and began running through the forest, taking large leaps as he did, the sound of the dog growing closer and closer. He jumped over a large ravine and landed adjacent to a fallen tree, one of the branches tearing into his side, and Stiles could hear it rip through Derek's flesh.

Derek grimaced and snapped the branch, pulling it out of his body and then tossing it into the water below. Stiles watched as the blood slowly washed away in the current, a bright crimson. They reached the house moments later and Derek sniffed around intently, realizing someone had been there.

They snuck in, shutting the door behind them. Gracie approached them, her eyes glowing a soft green, Stiles didn't know if he would ever get used to the color.

"There were people here. Policemen." She growled.

"What' Derek barked angrily. "Did you stay hidden?" She nodded.

"I stayed in my room."

"Good girl." Derek nodded

"They've left" he conceded and then disappeared into the house.

Stiles stood in the kitchen not knowing what to do. He walked into the living room to find Gracie watching a cartoon on TV, laughing with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in hand.

"Hi Sty!" She smiled holding up the sandwich "want a bite?" Stiles shook his head with a small smile. She looked so happy and carefree. Like a child should be.

"Derek made it for me." She spoke taking a bite.

The emotions were bubbling up, he wanted to say things, he wanted to say thank you, he wanted apologize. He ventured into the dark house until he saw the light shining from one of the rooms.

He knocked quietly.

There was a sound of heavy footsteps and Derek peered through the crack of the door.

'What."

"I….". Stiles started feeling the prickle of tears again. What the hell was going on with him?

The door opened and Derek sauntered back to the table where he had a basin full of hot water, Stiles watched as Derek wiped away dried blood and debris from his torso where the gash had formed. He saw the man wince and suddenly breath hard as if gasping for air at the contact.

Stiles went to his side and held him up, meeting his eyes for the first time. He looked so vulnerable.

Stiles slid his hand into the hot water and retrieved the wash cloth. He slowly wiped away the blood and dirt revealing the raw, pink flesh underneath.

Derek whimpered as Stiles pressed gentle fingers onto the skin.

"It's going to hurt more if you move around" He spoke quietly and his nervous system reacted for the third time that day when he saw the look in Derek's eyes.

He slowly pulled out splinter after thorny splinter from the muscled torso, his hands trying to ignore the warmth that radiated from the body beneath them.

"There. All done" he soothed, wiping the flesh with a soft cloth.

"Where are your bandages?" He asked quietly and looked to where Derek was pointing to a small cabinet on the wall. He retrieved a large gauze and began to gently wrap the wound.

"I'm sorry." He heard the man speak quietly.

Stiles nodded.

"I am too."

"I didn't mean to get so upset" Derek conceded.

"I shouldn't have been snooping around." Stiles spoke, sighing as he finished applying the bandage.

"Can we be friends?" He asked softly, looking into the man's green eyes.

"Yes please." Derek responded quietly causing him to give out a small smile.

Stiles felt a warmth creep up his neck. He stood back slowly, willing himself not to stare at the man with his well defined body and brooding demeanor.

"Don't you guys heal quickly." He inquired remembering the mythology books he had read in middle school.

"Yeah. There was wolfs bane on that branch." Derek grunted.

"Wolfs bane?"

"Yeah. It's toxic to werewolves."

Stiles nodded.

"How did it get on a tree?" Stiles asked quietly.

"Probably put there by hunters" Derek responded.

"Hunters?" Stiles asked confusedly.

"Werewolf hunters."

"Oh." Stiles responded trying to ignore the fact that this was the first real conversation they had ever had. He understood what it was like to have to always look over your shoulder. To have to run. To live in fear. Stiles watched the man pull on a shirt, blushing at his feelings. He's all alone. Stiles thought to himself. Just like us.

TO BE CONTINUED….


	6. Chapter 6

Red Like Your Eyes 

CH 6

Stiles woke as the sun started to rise, sighing at another failed attempt at getting a full night's sleep. He threw off the covers and brushed his teeth in the large bathroom across the hall. He looked into the mirror, noticing his hair had grown out from the buzzed cut he always wore. He ran his fingers through it, marveling at how different he looked, his skin had gotten paler being indoors so long, but his hair and eyes seemed to contrast warmly with it.

Several large department store bags stood on the dresser and upon investigation, he found clothing that looked like it would fit him. He picked out a red hoodie that was so comfortable he could probably sleep in it and some dark jeans that fit him surprisingly well.

He checked in on Gracie who was sleeping soundly and gently made his way to the kitchen where he could hear the sounds of cooking already taking place.

Stiles watched from the entrance as the hulking man took care of several saucepans simultaneously. He moved from one dish to the other with ease, seasoning as he went. Stiles smiled at how ironic it looked, a large brooding werewolf making breakfast like it was the most natural thing to do.

"Morning" Derek greeted without turning around.

"Morning.'

"There's orange juice in the fridge and glasses in the cabinet" the wolf continued pointing to a wooden cabinet next to the fridge.

"Thanks." Stiles responded grabbing a carton of orange juice out of the fridge and taking out a glass. He poured orange juice into it and leaned to put the carton back where he got it from but stopped. He took another glass from the cabinet and poured another. He moved next to Derek and handed him the glass shyly.

"Juice?"

Derek looked up from the symphony of cooking instruments and took it with a chaste smile.

"Thanks."

He drained the glass in one swig, his adam's apple moving as he did so.

Stiles hid his blush.

"Thanks for the clothes."

Derek nodded.

"Yeah. You were wearing the same thing for four days so I asked Lydia and Erica to get you some new ones."

"Oh. Thanks. How much do I owe you?" Stiles offered awkwardly.

Derek held up a hand in dismissal.

"Time to eat."

He took several platters and loaded them with a golden heap of scrambled eggs and thick sausages. On another, he piled a heap of pancakes and brought them to the breakfast table.

"Could you grab the syrup? It's on the back burner." Derek nodded. Stiles pulled a large syrup bottle out of warm water wiping it down before he brought it to the table.

"Gracie!" Derek yelled and a moment later Stiles heard a thump in the living room.

"Oh my god! She fell!" Stiles squawked, rushing to find Gracie skipping towards him.

"Morning" she exclaimed jumping into his arms.

'Gracie did you just jump down from the second floor?" he asked in disbelief, carrying her towards the kitchen as she giggled softly. He caught Derek watching them.

"It's time to start her training." The wolf nodded.

"Ok" stiles spoke ignoring the fact that Derek had called Gracie for breakfast as if he'd been doing it all his life.

He sat on the opposite side of the table with Gracie by his side. Derek handed him a platter with the eggs and he served Gracie and then himself before handing it back. They started eating quietly. Derek slowly retrieved a newspaper and began perusing it.

"No stories about you two in here today" he spoke quietly.

"Good."

Stiles wanted to change the subject so he did.

"Your house is so big. How many rooms does it have?"

"Twelve including a basement."

"There's a basement?" Stiles asked in an amazed tone.

"Mmm. Also five bathrooms. Two upstairs and three down here."

"Wow." Good to know he thought.

Derek nodded, a somewhat sad expression crossing his face before he dropped his head back down to read the paper. Derek stood when a coffee maker beeped from the counter. "Coffee?" he asked and Stiles nodded with a smile.

Stiles peered at Derek as he ate quietly, flipping through the newspaper. He took a moment to look at the scene in front of him. Gracie hummed quietly as she ate her pancakes, twirling her hair as she popped a piece of sausage into her mouth. 'This was strange. Not a bad strange. Just strange, he thought.

A huge house and no one to live in it. It seemed so sad. 'Lonely. He's lonely' a voice in Stiles' head whispered.

XXXXX

Stiles sat in his room wondering what he was going to do with himself. Derek and Gracie had wandered off into the woods to some unknown location to begin her training and he was stuck with a stack of books donated graciously by Lydia and Jackson. He fumbled through Lady Chatterly's Lover expecting it to be raunchier than it was and sighed before putting it back. He looked out to see that the afternoon was slowly giving in to night.

The back door opened and Stiles meandered down the stairs to find Gracie doing handstands in front of a disappointed looking Derek.

"Something happen?"

Derek shook his head slowly.

"We had fun Sty!" Gracie giggled jumping on him like a monkey. Stiles laughed "You are too cute."

He looked up to see Derek assessing them intently.

"Would you come out with us to the woods?" He asked quietly and Stiles nodded.

"Sure."

Deep in the forest Derek stopped them at a clearing surrounded by tall trees that threw an amazing amount of shade to the ground, making the scene gloomy and a little bit terrifying.

"Good no one's here" He spoke quietly.

"Ok Stiles I want you stand about 10 feet away. Gracie you go back about 10 more feet and I'll do the same on the opposite side" and Stiles watched as he stood in the middle with Gracie and Derek on opposite ends of some imaginary sparring ring.

"Right, now I want you to concentrate on shifting ok? Like we talked about" Derek spoke and she nodded excitedly.

Before he knew it he felt Derek charging at him his claws and fangs drawn out in sharp looking sickles. Gracie's eyes burned a bright green and an animalistic growl echoed from her chest, slightly frightening him. Small fangs and claws appeared from her digits, her small shoes splitting open as her toes turned into claws. Derek nodded

"Good." Derek spoke in an exhilarated tone.

Derek stepped back to his original position and Stiles watched as Gracie's claws and teeth retracted.

"Again" he yelled charging towards Stiles with his teeth now sharpened and his claws extended. This time however, Gracie's eyes only burned an emerald green. Derek retracted his claws from Stiles' throat and stepped back.

"What happened?" Stiles wondered out loud.

"again" Derek commanded and this time he got onto all fours and launched himself, fully shifted with gleaming red eyes and black fur covering his body, and before he knew it Stiles was knocked to the ground and he fell hard onto the leaves underneath, Derek behind him covering his smaller body with his own. Stiles blushed as he felt Derek pushed up against his private parts.

Stiles heard a feral snarl and suddenly Derek was tossed off him as a silver furred creature jumped in front of him, its haunches tensed, ready to strike.

Stiles watched in awe as Derek stood, smirking, his features becoming more human until he looked like he normally did. Gracie let out a feral snarl, warning him to back off. Derek put his hands up in defeat laughing when Gracie jumped away into the leafy vegetation.

Stiles smelled blood in the air.

"Did she swipe you?" He asked quietly and Derek nodded showing him his back, which was covered in blood soaked gashes.

"You're hearts racing" Derek spoke, holding out his hand

"Yeah. First time I've seen you like that" Stiles replied shakily.

"Sorry about that" he pointed to the ground and Stiles acknowledged his apology dusting himself off.

Stiles watched as the grey wolf circled around them, elated now that the danger had passed. Stiles watched as Gracie climbed a tree with ease and rested on a large branch observing him with green eyes.

She plucked a berry from the tree and threw it at him.

"Hey punk!"

She growled back playfully. Stiles laughed.

"Gracie get down here." Derek called and Gracie jumped gracefully onto the leaves in front of them. The grey fur vanished slowly and her face became less wolfish as she slowly stood there naked as the day she was born. Stiles took off his hoodie, his skin prickling at the cold as he wrapped it around her.

"I look like a strawberry" Gracie beamed flapping around in the sleeves. Stiles laughed but shook his head when he saw the fragments of pink and purple.

"Those were brand new" Stiles grumbled staring at the tattered clothing on the ground. He picked up the remnants so he could dispose of them when they got back.

Gracie turned to Derek with a stern expression."You wouldn't hurt Stiles right?" She asked seriously

Derek knelt down in front of her.

"I would never hurt Stiles" he replied tousling her hair.

"Good" she beamed skipping into the distance ignoring the blush that had crept to Stiles' cheeks.

The trio walked quietly through the woods as the sun set leaving behind a cool twilight. Stiles thought about what he had just seen. It was fantastical to say the least but he wondered.

"Was that a good training session?" he asked.

Derek nodded. "She did well.' There was silence as they walked back.

"You're her happy thought" Derek spoke quietly.

"Happy thought? Like Peter Pan?" Stiles asked in confusion.

"Kind of. Well a lot like that I guess" Derek smirked at the reference.

"When you're born as a wolf, the transition is a lot easier, but when someone is turned they have to learn how to shift back and forth from that state otherwise it becomes dangerous since they don't know how to control it."

Stiles nodded.

"To shift, its best when wolves focus on something near and dear to them being taken away, causing the wolf to break through the surface so they can protect them." Derek breathed "To shift back they think of something happy, and in this case it was you. You're her happy thought."

"Oh" Stiles smiled. "So werewolves or turned werewolves operate on fear and anger?"

"At the beginning, eventually we learn how to shift on command." Derek replied.

He thought of Gracie and Derek, how happy they seemed to be around each other, well when Derek wasn't attacking him and making Gracie angry, it seemed so natural, almost instinctual. He smiled softly as Gracie skipped back and took his hand in one and then laced her free hand in Derek's who took it with a slightly surprised expression on his face.

"She likes you" Stiles smiled knowingly. Derek nodded back, a foreign expression on his face.

XXXXX

That night after a feast of greasy pizza, garlic bread, and lasagna, Stiles fell asleep in his room. Somehow he was in the dark and running. He could hear his mother's voice calling him from the distance and he ran to her, hoping this time he'd find her.

He ran and ran but he began to feel a presence behind him, he turned in time to see a creature, its eyes sinister and evil jumping to claw him, he froze when he heard his mother scream in the distance.

"Stiles. Stiles wake up" a soothing voice came somewhere close. He woke with a jolt, his limbs tensed. "Stiles your having a panic attack" the voice continued gently rubbing circles over his stomach. Stiles turned to see Derek holding him, his eyes reflecting a soft crimson, a look of concern on his face.

"Shh..Your heart beat was so loud that it woke me up. You were so scared." Derek soothed as Stiles choked back a shudder. "Breath. Just a dream Stiles it's just a dream." he whispered.

Stiles breathed in, his body slowly relaxing. His toes and fingers uncurled and he sighed into the pillow.

"Sorry." He murmured

"It's fine."

Stiles closed his eyes, his nose picking up Derek's scent. It was warm and comforting. He closed his eyes and focused on his breathing instead of the fact that the handsome guy was holding him and he began to get sleepy.

After a few minutes Derek slowly moved away but Stiles grabbed his hand, pulling it over him. Derek stilled and after a moment, he slowly curled up next to him, his hand rubbing soothing circles on his stomach.

Stiles woke up to the sounds of birds chirping annoyingly from the trees outside. He felt warm breath on his neck and a pair of strong hands holding him against what felt like a rock solid wall of muscle, he sighed and snuggled back into the warmth without thinking.

It was the first time in years that he had slept through the night.

Stiles woke a few hours later sunlight spilling from the windows. He turned to find himself alone in the warm bed and let out a frustrated groan.

TO BE CONTINUED….

Notes: thank you for all the reviews, you guys are so sweet!


	7. Chapter 7

Red Like Your Eyes 

CH 7

**Notes:** There will be intimate *coughs* scenes coming up so the rating may change.

Over the next few days the trio fell into a routine. Derek would read the newspaper as they had breakfast and then he and Gracie would train for a few hours before returning for lunch. Stiles on the other hand read novel after novel, the silence of the forest lulling him into taking hour long adventures with Anna Karenina and Nick Carraway through the passages of literature.

This morning was different however, as Derek read the paper quietly, not looking up except to sip on his coffee as Stiles and Gracie ate toast, eggs, and bacon to start off their day. The domestic nature of it was weird to him, it made him anxious.

"We'll do the dishes" Stiles offered quietly when they finished. "Or I'll do them if you want to start training."

Derek shook his head.

"No. I got pack business to attend to today. You guys just hang out here" He finished, rising from the table and placing his coffee cup in the sink. Stiles noticed that the paper was open to the weather report, which showed a full moon in three days. Full moons and werewolves, his life was officially a twisted science fiction episode.

"We're not going to play today?" Gracie asked her eyes wide and her lips in a pout.

Derek smiled. "No not today."

Something inside Stiles' ached at the way the two had bonded so naturally. It was so nostalgic, he remembered when his father had promised him they would do something fun after work, tousling his hair before he'd head out, pulling his Sherriff's hat on as he went to his cruiser. Stiles felt his eyes prickling and he blinked several times.

"Ok. Sty will play with me." Gracie confirmed, her blonde curls bouncing, her smile revealing tiny fangs.

"Alrighty then." Stiles smirked bringing himself out of his funk.

"I'll be back late, there's lasagna in the fridge, just pop it into the oven when you're hungry." Derek nodded.

Stiles nodded back with a small smile.

XXXXXX

"I'm drawing a picture Sty!' Gracie grinned holding up a valiantly drawn series of stick figures.

Stiles thought back to the first time he had met Gracie, a newly orphaned child that had lost both her parents while he had lost his father a few months prior. Her parents had both died in a car crash and he shuddered at the fact that her fate had almost been the same. When she arrived at the orphanage she didn't speak, only nodded, a psychiatrist saying that the shock had rendered her unwilling to talk and she would speak when she wanted to. As soon as she had seen him, she had laced her fingers into his hand and they quickly became inseparable. She rarely talked to anyone apart from Stiles, sharing that terrible bond that only those who were truly alone could enter into. Maybe that's why she got along so well with Derek. He was also part of that club.

A year had passed before Stiles noticed the marks on Gracie's limbs and torso. He noticed that the deep red welts appeared in different areas of her body but were localized enough so that they wouldn't show when she would wear a t-shirt or a skirt. He was also having troubles, the medication he took for his ADHD leaving him listless and groggy instead of helping him concentrate. The dosage had also brought on intense migraines. He had no way of getting through school and had eventually failed several classes.

One day, when Gracie was taken to the hospital in the middle of the night and brought back with a cast around her arm was when he decided to run. He was 17, a few months to become an adult. He retrieved the thousand dollars he had managed to hide from the trust fund executives and pawned his father's gold watch to get that crappy jeep so that they could leave. And they did. They were on the run before they knew it and for the first time in a long time Gracie had smiled and in return his smile reappeared, remembering what it was like to be free.

Stiles went back to reading The Great Gatsby which was actually keeping his attention while Gracie colored with an ancient set of pencils in the living room when Derek reappeared, wearing his signature leather jacket and black jeans. He was holding a wrapped package in colorful paper with a bow. He looked awkward.

Gracie's eyes widened when she saw it. "Ooh a present?'

Derek nodded "I wanted to get you something. You've been doing so well with your training."

He handed it to her and she tore it apart, Stiles watching intently from the couch. Gracie squealed in delight when she found a ragdoll, its face stitched with a happy smile.

"My sister had one growing up and she loved it." He spoke catching Stiles gaze.

Gracie clapped her hands happily, bouncing around with it.

"Her name is Sophia!" She yelled in happiness and Stiles smiled, looking over to see Derek laughing.

"Thank you! Thank you!" she cried. "Sty look what I got!"

Derek took something out of his jacket and held it out to him. "I saw this in a book store and thought you would like it" he spoke quietly, and stiles couldn't help imagining that he seemed shy.

Stiles took the brown wrapped package, obviously a book of some sort, and opened it politely compared to Gracie who had torn open her shiny packaging like a crazy person, leaving it in tatters all over the living room. He pulled out a leather bound book filled with blank pages, an etching of a wolf on its cover. He ran his hand over it marveling at the workmanship.

"It's a journal." Derek noted, "You seem like you could write or want to write stuff" he spoke awkwardly and Stiles hoped his blush didn't show.

"Thanks, it's beautiful" he spoke appreciatively.

"Your welcome." Derek shook out of the tender moment and his business like expression returned.

"I'll be back" he nodded heading towards the front door. Gracie launched herself off the carpet and wrapped her arms around Derek's chest.

"Bye!' She squealed hugging him happily.

"Bye" he returned her hug, wrapping his arms around her., before handing her gently to Stiles.

"Be careful" Stiles managed quietly and Derek's gaze lingered on him for longer than necessary before turning to leave. Stiles heard the sound of a car engine roaring to life before it rumbled out into the distance. He looked over, to see Gracie returning to her coloring, and he tried reading again. It took him a whole twenty minutes to give up and want to get out.

"Gracie."

"mmm." Gracie murmured not looking up.

"Want to go get the car from my house?" He asked with a grin.

Gracie's eyes glowed a soft green

"Yeah." She grinned mischievously.

"Let's go."

"adventure here we come!" She squealed jumping onto the rafters and swinging from them like a monkey.

'Gracie! Stop!"

She jumped down onto her feet with a soft thud, giggling.

"Not funny."

"Yes it is."

"Ok let's go if you don't mind" Stiles chided quietly.

Stiles changed into the darkest clothes he could find in the shopping bags and made sure Gracie did the same. He closed the door behind him making sure it was still unlocked and slipped into the woods, Gracie's hand held tightly in his.

They walked in the shadows as the sun started its descent. He turned instinctively, knowing which way to go, the path committed to memory. He finally reached the outskirts of his street. And there he saw it. He almost didn't recognize the structure, its chipped wood and eerie appearance making it look completely different from what he remembered.

It looked so sad and desolate. The gardenias his mother had planted had long been uprooted, replaced by gangly looking weeds. He remembered the front steps where he had played with toy cars, the driveway where he would greet his father when he got back from work. The window in his room had been boarded up, never to shed light in again. It was hard and it hurt. 'You can never go back home' a voice whispered. 'It's gone. It's all gone' Stiles thought miserably. The waves of sadness began coursing over him and his pulse quickening, causing his stomach to burn with that familiar sensation.

"Sty let's go!" Gracie pulled at him looking at the house eagerly. .

"No. It's Ok." Stiles replied, his voice hollow. He hadn't expected this. He didn't know what he expected, but it wasn't that. It was a lot to handle. He felt a panic attack slowly curling in his gut.

"But I want the car" Gracie pouted.

"Soon I promise ok?" Stiles mumbled squeezing her hand.

'Fine." Gracie mouthed.

Stiles was numb as they walked back. The sound of a police siren in the distance had them both dropping to the forest floor as Gracie giving out a quiet growl that rumbled through her tiny chest.

They moved back to the Hale house as the sun dipped into the horizon, Gracie staring at him in a worried state.

"Are you ok Sty?"

"Uh yeah" he lied.

"No you aren't. Your heart is beating fast" she whispered, hugging his leg so he had to stop. Stiles bit a lip trying to stop the tears from escaping. "I'm ok really."

"Please don't be sad" Grace spoke looking up into his eyes

"I'm ok. Thank you" stiles chuckled, blinking back the tears that threatened to escape. He forced himself to breathe.

They reached the house and Stiles placed the lasagna in the oven and they ate quietly Sophia occupying the empty chair next to Gracie.. They watched something on the TV and stiles slipped away when Gracie fell asleep on the couch.

TO BE CONTINUED…..

**Notes:** thank you all for reading! I hope you guys are enjoying it, a bit of fluff and story but I promise it's all coming together J


	8. Chapter 8

Red Like Your Eyes

CH 8

**Notes:** OK this fic is getting longer than I hoped it would be!

A razor

A sharp, shiny blade

A razor would make it all better.

Stiles slinked his way through the second floor past his bedroom and began opening doors. He opened one door at the end of the hallway and found himself in a large room with a king sized bed. On the mantle sat a picture frame, one of its edges blackened and burnt. The image showed two smiling people, the woman with beautiful green eyes and jet black hair and the man with angular features like Derek's. He stared at it for a moment. He was in the master bedroom, clearly rebuilt to look like it used to yet it had no warm feel, like it was lived in or been visited. He saw the layer of dust on the wooden surfaces and slowly exited. It seemed like a sacred space that even Derek hadn't touched and he felt the need to respect the memory of his host's parents.

He tried the next door and found a bathroom that also looked like it hadn't been used in years. The bathroom he and Gracie used only had toothbrushes, soap, and towels. This bathroom however looked like it had once belonged to people who took full use of it. he looked at his red eyes in the mirror of the medicine cabinet before he opened it, a cloud of dust escaping as he looked outside.

"Shaving cream, shampoo, tooth paste, aspirin." And then he paused, his heart jumping as he laid his eyes on a razor. He pulled the razor off the shelf and unclipped the head, his fingers trembling. He pulled out the razor, which had miraculously had no rust and he laid it on the counter.

He cringed because he hated this. He watched as wet drops landed in the sink. He picked up the blade and drew it across his wrist

The pain was instant. He sighed gently and felt the pain, the warm liquid oozing out of the cut. The hurtful memories were drowned out by the physical pain, it was somehow bearable. He could deal with physical pain. That was easy.

Stiles closed his eyes and leaned against the tub, some semblance of control greeting him at the intersection of fear and heart ache.

Suddenly the sound of two pairs of feet running up the stairs reached his ears and the door knob was jiggled rapidly.

Outside he heard Derek's voice "Gracie, stay downstairs"

"No!'

'Gracie NOW!' Derek bellowed and after a quiet growl, he heard her scampering away.

"Stiles! Open it." He heard his voice against the door.

Stiles couldn't talk; his mouth felt like it was drier than the Sahara. He couldn't speak A few moments later he heard a wood shattering crunch as Derek slammed into the door. The door buckled and gave way and Derek ran in looking at his wrist and the tear that were spilling down his cheeks.

Derek's eyes were full blown red, like fresh blood. He yanked Stiles by the wrist raising it to the light.

"What are you doing!" He yelled.

Stiles looked back at him his tears running down his face, he swallowed pitifully, unable to speak. Derek raised the wrist to his hand and licked across the wound, he kept going and the cut slowly closed. Satisfied he went back to the other wrist and licked over the faded scars.

"Stiles. Why are you doing this?" Derek demanded, his teeth stained pink from the fresh blood.

Stiles crumpled to the ground but Derek held him up.

"What's wrong."

Stiles shook his head, tears flying from the corner of his eyes. He couldn't talk. He started sobbing loudly.

He had never cried in front of anyone since he had gone into foster care. He hadn't even cried when one of the boys had pushed him off a balcony and he had broken his arm. He never let anyone see him cry, and knowing that Derek didn't know him and that they would soon leave and never return allowed him to let it all go.

He sobbed brokenly on the bathroom floor and like he just _knew_ what to do, Derek curled his body around him and held him in a tight hug.

"It's ok. It's ok." Derek murmured

"No its not. It's really not" Stiles shuddered.

"Talk to me. There's nothing we can't fix" Derek soothed. "Just talk to me."

He heard Gracie approach and he felt Derek shoo her away.

Stiles cried until he couldn't cry anymore. In a way it was a catharsis. He had never had a chance to really cry it out and he felt good in a weird way. he cried about his mother who had been the best mom ever and for his dad who loved him so much but couldn't, just couldn't handle the pain of being alone and he cried for himself. for everything he had been through and all the issues that waited for him out there once he got out of Derek's house.

He rested against Derek's now wet leather jacket, breathing quietly.

"Feel better?" Derek soothed behind him.

Stiles nodded.

"Sorry about your door" he mumbled staring at the broken wood at the entrance.

"It's nothing as long as you are alright." Derek replied

Derek raised Stiles arm. "Just please don't do this alright? I thought someone had hurt you, that you were in pain."

Stiles nodded.

"Don't scare me like that again. I'm serious." Derek finished firmly.

He felt embarrassed that he had been caught. But maybe he had wanted that, he wanted someone to know he was in pain, he needed to tell someone that he was hurting. And he wanted someone to listen because, yeah he wasn't over it and he didn't know how to heal.

Derek picked him off the floor and led him to his room. He laid down and Derek sat on the edge of it. He spoke, breaking Stiles out of his thoughts.

"Stiles you have to talk about it. I know, God do I know, it sucks to say but you have to tell people it hurts, you've got to cry and not feel embarrassed about it. You have to acknowledge that they are gone but you'll always love them and that they want the best for you even though they aren't here." Derek whispered out.

"I'm so alone" Stiles whispered against Derek's chest.

"No you're not" Derek responded. "I'm here." And in the back of his mind Stiles wanted to question it, ask him if he was going to leave, ask him if he was going to judge him, ask him if he would walk away, but at that moment he accepted it and felt comforted.

"Sty!" Gracie snarled rushing through the door.

She glared at Derek, her eyes glowing emerald green

"What did you do to him?' she growled.

Stiles held up a hand. "No, no Gracie. He didn't do anything."

Gracie's claws and teeth disappeared and she looked anxious, "what's wrong Sty?" She whimpered.

"Just something made me sad." He replied tiredly.

"It's ok Sty. I'm here." She whispered running a hand through his hair. Stiles grinned. "I'm a good girl remember." And Stiles nodded and smiled. Derek pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed.

"Lydia listen, do you think you could take Gracie for a few hours?"

Lydia's voice filtered through, "Sure, we'll have a slumber party! I thought you'd never ask Derek!"

Gracie clapped her hands in glee. "A slumber party! Yay!"

"Well I suppose that will be fun" Derek continued unimpressed. "And Jackson is ok with this?"

"Shut up Derek, what do you know about slumber parties? Also Jackson is not invited. It's a girl thing. I'm calling Erica." Lydia dismissed plainly.

Stiles smiled wistfully. Slumber parties. Pizza for dinner. What an amazing child hood they must have had.

Lydia continued "we'll be there in 20 minute ok Gracie?" and Gracie screeched in excitement.

"Whatever. The doors open." Derek deadpanned

"No way? Really?" Lydia's voice came, surprised but hopeful.

"No. so knock when you get here." Derek finished derisively.

"Ugh. Whatever" Lydia retorted hanging up.

They listened as Gracie scrambled in her room getting things ready for her first slumber party. She had integrated into the pack like a drop of rain water falling into a lake. So easy and seamless. He was the odd one out. As usual.

A knock at the door had Gracie screeching in excitement again.

"Time to go! Bye Sty. Bye Der!" She yelled clamoring down the stairs.

"I have to open the door for her" Derek spoke reluctantly and Stiles nodded.

He made his way out of the room and a few minutes later Stiles heard him at the door speaking quietly to Lydia, he couldn't make out what they were saying but he didn't care. He wanted to lay there. He felt better.

Derek returned a few moments later as Jackson's Porsche drove away into the dark. He lay down next to Stiles and gently returned to rubbing soft circles in his back.

His insecurities were rising to the surface and Derek had a front row seat.

"How do you do that?" Stiles whispered.

"What."

"It's like you just take my fears and panic away with your touch" he whispered, his worlds floating like mist into the night air. 'Tell him' a voice in Derek's head spoke. 'Tell him.' his wolf growled and snarled, wanting to touch. wanting to claim.

"I've had a lot of experience. "

Derek blushed. "Not like that. Just had to comfort a lot of people."

Stiles smiled. "Oh. well I would think someone like you would have a lot of experience."

"Why?"

"You just have this presence about you, like you're not afraid. Like you would fight for what's yours." Stiles whispered.

Derek flustered but continued rubbing soft circles.

"Thank you." He muttered after a few moments of silence.

"I had to help Scott learn to become a wolf like Gracie, had to ease Erica, Jackson and Lydia's fears when they realized what a sacrifice it is to receive the bite. It's always a lot more to handle than it looks."

It was strange that this was their first real conversation Stiles thought as he lay on his side and Derek behind him. Stranger things could happen right?

He spoke quietly.

"Maybe I didn't leave because of Gracie. Maybe I left because I needed to. Maybe I wished it was me that got hurt and not her."

"Don't say that." Derek interjected.

"It' the truth." stiles whispered quietly.

"When I lost my mom, a part of me went numb, you know? Then when my dad passed away out of sadness, I just know it, I couldn't feel anything. Like nothing mattered anymore. I promised myself that I'd never let anyone in again. It was just too hard to let go, when people leave you. "

And Stiles' eyes filled with tears. He wiped them away roughly.

"No one in this shitty town cared. The only person who cared was my best friend Ottie, I still remember him crying when they took me into foster care."

Stiles shrugged sadly. "Then after I was moved to the larger institution years later I met Gracie. And she was so much like me. Like she knew what it was like" and Stiles shook my head. "I felt myself care because I knew what she was feeling."

Stile breathed trying to relax. Derek continued rubbing circles.

"And when we left and I hit that tree, I knew she was gone. Even when I got knocked out I knew she wouldn't survive. It was like the universe telling me that everyone leaves."

"That I'm meant to be alone."Stiles' tears broke, flooding down his cheeks. Derek was silent.

"Then you. You saved her and I was so confused. I just couldn't understand and I was scared."

Derek blinked back the moisture that had gathered in the corners of his eyes.

Stiles sat up looking out the window. "The last year was so bad. I didn't fit in with anyone, and that's saying a lot amongst orphans. After I started on the treatments, it got worse and worse. I talked nonstop, wasn't able to concentrate on anything and I kept getting headaches. Even failed junior year."

" I just didn't care anymore." he finished.

"You can always take the GED right?" Derek proposed quietly remembering how Stiles smelled like chemicals when he had first seen him. The smell had vanished but it seemed that Stiles' anxiety had come on board to take over, his scent now bitter and acrid.

"I guess. I just don't know where I'm going. other people have that you know? Like they have an idea." Stiles shook his head slowly trying to stop the tears from coming.

"I don't belong anywhere."

"Stiles. I..If you..You can stay here for as long as you want" Derek spoke quietly.

Stiles nodded. "Thanks. But I don't think I'm going to run anymore. You just get more and more lost. You have to face it one day."

"Getting lost isn't a bad thing you know." Derek mumbled

"Huh?"

"Getting lost isn't a bad thing. It takes you outside of what's comfortable and it shows you who you really are." Derek continued.

Stiles nodded looking at the silver moon.

"If I asked you. Would you take Gracie in?" Stiles asked, averting his eyes.

Derek shook his head.

"What, why?" Stiles looked wounded.

"She's your family. It would hurt her if you left." Derek continued, knowing that it would be the logical decision for Gracie to stay with him.

Stiles shrugged. "Everyone leaves eventually, maybe it's better she learns that now."

Derek pulled Stiles back down. "That's not true." He breathed then whispered

"And it's the memories that last Stiles. That's what matters the most. It's what makes us who we are. If anything we're all just collection of memories and experiences intertwined to make a whole."

Derek returned to rubbing circles "Try focusing on the good parts, if you focus on the bad parts all the time you miss out on all the good things that could happen."

Stiles turned to him. "Since when did you become so poetic?" he asked thickly.

Derek shrugged shyly. "I usually don't talk this much."

"Same here. You know more about me than anyone else." He sighed "Well living."

Stiles pulled Derek in for a hug.

"Thanks. "

"You're welcome."

Derek slowly stood and went to the door.

"Pizza?"

"Uh, not complaining but we've had pizza for two nights straight" Stiles smirked weakly.

"Yeah but you like it. So" Derek shrugged.

Stile smiled toothily "Ok."

He listened to Derek as he lowly descended the stairs. Stiles felt several emotions coursing through his body as he looked at his wrists. The scars had faded away, barely visible. Werewolf saliva worked wonders it seemed.

Stiles stared into the calm night sky. Something had changed.

They sat watching late night TV and eating a greasy pizza. Stiles was barely awake as Jay Leno came one and he was passed out, drooling on Derek's shoulder a few minutes later.

Derek covered him with a blanket and walked outside for some fresh air. He finally let his wolf out and entered the forest to think. The cold air felt good on his warm skin and he looked into the sky.

He knew what it was like. He felt the pain bubbling up inside him, the pain he had pushed away for so long.

Notes: thanks for reading! This chapter is pretty sad

Notes: if you are having any sort of issue please call the Trevor Project (just search).


	9. Chapter 9

Red Like Your Eyes

CH 9

**Notes:** OK let's get back to the story….

"Sty. Where are you?" Derek asked as he entered with Gracie in tow. Gracie leaped onto the man's shoulders and called out loudly.

"Sty!"

"Over here on the couch" Stiles returned wiping tears away. It was the 18th, his mother's birthday. Things were always especially hard on this day.

"Lunch will be ready in 20 ok?" The man nodded with a smal smile. Stiles nodded turning his attention back to the book.

Sty. The werewolf now called him sty. What even?

After lunch Gracie dragged him off to play hide and seek in the enormous house. As he ran and opened doors, he realized more and more were opened, the curtains pulled open letting in the light. He opened room after room, each one with a different character, a different life that had once been lived.

He wondered where the wolf man was, so he ventured down to the first floor and listened carefully. He heard the sound of clanking metal and followed the noises till he came to the garage where a radio was playing a loud rock song and Derek was underneath the remains of his jeep, his body covered in grime and sweat, a wife beater covering his chiseled torso.

Stiles bent over and touched Derek on the leg to get his attention. Bad idea. Derek jumped in surprise banging his head against the underneath of the car, a large yell followed by a string of curse words.

Stiles felt bad and kind of wanted to laugh inappropriately. That notion was silenced when Derek pulled out from under the car and glared at him rubbing a bright red welt on his forehead.

"God damn it Stiles! You scared the hell out of me!"

He felt bad immediately. "Sorry, just wanted to see what you were doing" he responded quietly.

Derek glared at him, the rim of his irises a bright red as he rubbed his forehead.

"Uh don't move. You may have a concussion." He supplied awkwardly.

Stiles stood up and hustled back to the kitchen and took a plastic bag and filled it with ice from the freezer and ran back. He found Derek sitting, rubbing his forehead looking over a smudge covered book that had figures of auto transmissions and schematics. He had turned off the radio and looked over curiously at Stiles as he brought the baggie filled with ice towards him.

"Here" he spoke quietly and pressed the ice to the man's forehead.

"Thanks" Derek spoke appreciatively wincing at the initial contact of the cold against the welt.

"No it's my fault."

"Did you need something?" Derek nodded quietly.

Stiles shrugged. "Just got bored." He admitted half heartedly.

Derek nodded. "You want me to call up Scott and the others? You guys could do something fun. After dark."

"Ah sure I guess." Stiles responded.

Before Derek could say another word, the door bell sounded loudly at the front door.

"What do they want now?" Derek groaned heading towards the front of the house and Stiles following out of curiosity.

"What?" Derek sounded as he opened the door to find Lydia and Erica smiling from the entrance.

"What happened to your head?" Lydia asked with a disapproving look.

"I bumped into something"

"Oh?" Lydia spoke with a mischievous smile while Erica bit back a laugh.

"What do you two want?" Derek asked cocking an eyebrow in irritation.

"We" Erica spoke looking between Stiles and Derek "want to take Gracie for a girl's day out. I didn't get a chance to hang out with our new member and I'm sure she's bored being around all you icky boys all the time."

Gracie yelled in happiness from the stairs.

"Yay!" She screeched before jumping down and running to the entrance. She leaped into Lydia's arms and giggled.

"Can we get some more clothes?" She beamed.

"You are definitely a girl after my own heart" Lydia laughed.

Derek rolled his shoulders, bored with the conversation. "Remember to be careful and don't get go out in broad daylight, got it?" He instructed to his betas.

"We got it boss" Erica smirked.

"Ok well let's get you to my apartment and we can do fun stuff all day." Lydia chimed in carrying Gracie in her arms.

Wait! Gracie screeched leaping out of Lydia's arms, she zoomed into the house and returned moments later with Sophia clutched in hand.

"Bye sty! Bye Derek!" Gracie screeched and Stiles couldn't help but marvel at the complete change in her outlook and personality. The shy and scared girl she used to be had vanished and she was now more confident and happy. Gracie was so happy.

"What time do you want us to bring her back?" Lydia asked with a tilt of her head. Derek turned to Stiles, leaving it up to him.

"Stiles shrugged you guys want to hang out till tomorrow?" He supplied and looked away at Erica's piercing gaze when he finished.

"Yay!" Gracie clapped making Stiles laugh.

"Sounds good!" Erica nodded and the three ventured to Lydia's car and pulled out moments later.

"You guys have fun now" Lydia echoed sweetly from the driveway making Stiles' stomach knot. Why did it feel like he was the only one not in on some sort of joke?

Derek dropped the ice bag from his head where no evidence of a head injury was present. He tossed it into the sink and returned with two glasses of water.

Stiles accepted it with a smile, his nerves jumping when his fingers touched the other man's.

"Um. Do you want to do something?" Derek spoke stiffly.

" Sure. I was going to finish the book I was reading." Stiles mumbled offhandedly not knowing what to say.

"Oh ok" Derek rushed in embarrassment looking away. "I should get back to the car. Your car."

"But I'd rather be doing something else. Please don't let me go back to reading." Stiles countered feeling like a complete moron. He had been stuck in the house for weeks now and someone was offering to do something fun.

Derek nodded "Great.'

Stiles nodded. "So what do you want to do?'

'Well we can't really go outside because it's the weekend and people are out. Want to watch some movies?" Derek asked awkwardly. Stiles looked at him, a sudden nervousness taking over his usually assertive and brooding manner. in the light he looked so much younger, gentler, even naive.

"Yeah. That would be great."

"Cool" Derek responded and Stiles' mouth twitched at the wolf man's use of the word 'cool.'

"I'll get cleaned up" he spoke quietly pointing at his sweaty body and stiles felt an odd sensation kick him in the stomach. _Dude was acting shy_. The wolf man turned and disappeared into the house leaving him with questions. So many questions. Was this a date? Was he being asked on an _indoors _date? What was going on? He calmed himself down because he was sounding crazy. Even to him.

He ventured upstairs when he heard the shower running and sat in his room. He randomly cleaned up, trying to find something to do and eventually got to the pile of clothes the pack had given him as some sort of weird welcoming gift.

He looked through them and decided on a pair of new jeans and a warm plaid shirt that fit him nicely. He looked at himself in the mirror; whoever had bought the clothes had good taste. Stiles liked what he saw. He unbuttoned the top two buttons of the shirt, exposing his neck and pale skin. He felt weird. He had never been on one of these things.

"Get a hold of yourself Stilinksi, this is not one of those!"

He buttoned one button up and nodded to himself. Don't want to come off looking easy he thought. Wait. What?!

"Get it together man!" He chided himself

"Be cool Stiles." He coached himself before heading downstairs. He wondered what it would be like to go on a date. He had seen people have dates on movies, but never really thought of himself going on one. Weird. What do people talk about? Not their dead mothers or family members he was sure. Keep it on the positive end.

He made his way to the stairway and started descending when he caught sight of Derek entering the living room with a bucket of pop corn and sodas. He was dressed in a black v neck t-shirt and similarly dark jeans that Stiles hadn't seen him wear before. His observation came to an end abruptly when Derek turned his gaze to him as he descended and the man's gaze hovered over him in a way that made him feel subconscious but oddly pleased. Derek forced himself to look away and hurried back to the kitchen.

Stiles ventured after him and watched as Derek downed a glass of water.

"Do you need any help?" he asked awkwardly.

"Drinks. Let me go get the drinks. And snacks." Derek babbled, pointing at the counter, trying to avoid eye contact.

The awkwardness in the house jumped up several notches on the awkward scale.

"Ok. I'll be on the couch" Stiles supplied slipping away.

Derek brought a massive lasagna to the table and the two sat down to catch up on the latest movies.

He served the both of them two enormous portions of the cheesy goodness and handed one to stiles whose stomach immediately responded with 'food, feed me!' and he set about eating while the first movie started.

"We could eat at the table" Derek suggested uncertainly but Stiles shook his head vigorously. "No! This is awesome. The movie's not bad either I heard" he added knowing that eating at a table would make it even more weird and awkward.

He scooped another piece of lasagna onto his fork and shoveled it and felt tears in his eyes when the hot cheese burned his tongue.

"Hough hough hough!" He exclaimed with his mouth full of lasagna, he grabbed the glass of soda and took a chug to sooth his burning mouth and swallowed the unusual mixture of fizzy flavored water and creamy noodles.

"Hot. That was hot." He murmured sheepishly at Derek who had paused the movie and looked at him with an alarmed look.

"Oh." Derek nodded looking back at his plate.

"This is really good, where did you learn how to cook like this?"

"I had to learn how to cook after my family was…" Derek answered quietly.

'Damn it Stiles.' He thought to himself. 'Way to turn it to the negative.'

"Well it tastes amazing."

Derek shot him a small smile.

"I. uh. Thank you for feeding me." He continued softly.

"Don't mention it."

Stiles nodded. "You unlocked the rooms on the second floor" he mentioned quietly.

Derek nodded

"Yeah. Just wanted to do some cleaning." He replied simply

'Happy thoughts Stiles. Come on!'

"So. Uh. What do you do for fun? I mean what are your hobbies 'Stiles continued taking a careful bite of the warm food which, when he wasn't shoveling it down was absolutely delicious, the warm cheese and tomato sauce pairing perfectly with the seasoned meat and herbs. The entire concoction melted in his mouth and he moaned out appreciatively. He rarely got food this good.

He opened his eyes to see Derek watching him intently and bit his lip in embarrassment, he ducked his head.

"Did I mention this is awesome?" He supplied in a bashful tone

"Once or twice" Derek returned with a smirk, his tone oddly playful. "I like doing outdoors stuff. Hiking, climbing, I used to love going to the beach."

"Used to?" Stiles inquired intently.

Derek nodded and another awkward pause followed. Stiles realized that he needed to fill in the gap because Derek was now picking at his food. Great job Stiles.

"You don't take your pack mates to the beach?" Stiles continued mentally slapping himself on the head for continuing the line of sad question and answer conversations.

Derek shrugged. "Never asked"

"Why not?"

"They have their own lives." He spoke quietly.

"But you guys are pack right? Can't you force them to go to the beach?"

"Not like that" Derek countered taking a bite.

Stiles nodded.

"Well I love the beach. I took Gracie out there before we headed out here. Can you believe she had never gone before? Kids these days."

Derek smiled "everyone loves the beach."

"Yeah. Sun, surf, sand, ice cream."

Derek chuckled and Stiles joined in.

"We could go to the beach some time?"

Derek paused, fork still in his mouth. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Stiles nodded" it would be awesome"

Derek nodded

"Ok."

"Cool."

"It's a date" stiles affirmed blushing when he realized what he had said and mentally kicking himself. This was so awkward, he didn't know how to act on a first date. He'd never been on a date before! Damn it, this wasn't a date!

Derek nodded slowly "Yeah."

TO BE CONTINUED…..


	10. Chapter 10

Red Like Your Eyes

CH 10

**Notes:** back to the most awkward movie night ever!

Derek looked uncomfortable and picked up the remote before he said something silly himself. He hadn't realized the implication of just sitting and watching a movie with someone he liked. He had forgotten what it was like honestly. He had used to love watching movies, but watching them alone was weird and sad in a way. When he did watch a movie it was in a group with the other pack members when they decided to invite him. He was used to be alone, that was all, and in a way he had gotten used to it and appreciated it. He hadn't dated because things had gotten so messed up that he had needed time to rebuild. Rebuild his life; rebuild himself from the inside out so that he could at least function normally. It had taken him years and he was still finding his bearings after all this time.

"Should we start?" He managed quietly.

Stiles nodded looking relieved as Derek pressed play. He was thankful that he could fill his mouth with something as opposed to spouting off nonsense. He decided not to think about it and return to the nice night they were having. He settled into the movie and moved on to the popcorn and sodas. It was some funny action comedy that served as fun mindless entertainment and he was glad to escape his own thoughts for a while. He felt the cold creep in as night fell and thought of the enormous house again.

"You unlocked the rooms on the second floor" he mentioned quietly.

Derek nodded

"Yeah. Just wanted to do some cleaning. Get rid of some old stuff." He replied simply.

"If you need any help let me know" Stiles returned.

"Ok."

After the fourth movie they had both relaxed from their previous awkwardness. He noticed that he gave Derek sideways glances, smelling the fresh scent of his cologne and the lines of his fresh clothing and Derek, though much more subtly, did the same.

After an hour or so of stolen glances Stiles ventured out with "I'm having a nice time"

Derek turned and smiled shyly, and Stiles didn't even know that sort of expression existing in the wolf man's catalogue of brooding expressions.

"Me too."

Derek turned his attention back to the screen thankful that he didn't linger on Stiles' doe eyes, giving his feelings away. Stiles followed, turned back to the TV not seeing the blush that was creeping up Derek's neck.

Stiles' mind returned with stupid thoughts. 'That's what you say on dates right? To let your date know you're having a good time? What do I do now? We are alone in the house which is weird. Did he plan this? No he's not like that. Wait. What?'

And while he was thinking all these stupid thoughts Derek nonchalantly draped his hand across the couch, his fingers so close to Stiles' neck, that he wondered if it was an invitation to move closer. Awkward meter had just exploded.

Stiles turned his full attention to the movie trying to ignore the implications of the action. And when he concentrated on something for a long time he got tired. And when he got tired he usually fell asleep. He woke up hours later to find himself curled up on his end of the couch with Derek passed out similarly on the other end, mouth hanging open and snoring softy. He smiled, taking a mental picture and groaning inwardly at how lame he was.

He gently patted the wolf man on the shoulder and he stirred quickly.

"Wha? What's going on?" Derek responded blinking the sleep out of his eyes and clearing his throat.

"Movie's over."

"Oh right." Derek nodded surveying the mass of popcorn and sodas on the table.

Well. Ok awkward. 'End of date right? Walk him to his room, or get walked to my room? A kiss? A KISS?! No. nope. Shake hands? Hahahahaha.' A side of Stiles had returned and it made him giddy with happiness. He thought he had lost the ability to feel this way, to feel safe, to feel like the world had so many things to offer him. The last time he had felt this way was on his 5th birthday, when things were still new, before the sadness of the world had exposed itself to him in all its cruel irony.

"Well. Goodnight." Stiles shifted awkwardly looking at his feet.

"Goodnight" Derek nodded and grabbed the empty bowl of popcorn and drinks off the table before walking to the kitchen.

Stiles couldn't help wondering as he climbed up the stairs. It was confusing. It was frustrating. He got ready for bed and lay down, sis eyes closing shut as soon as he hit the pillow. He fell into an ocean of sleep, drifting through old memories, trying valiantly to swim to shore. He woke to find Derek staring at him, his cheeks feeling cold from the moisture that had gathered there.

"Sorry. You were freaking out in your sleep. Your heart rate was really erratic." Derek spoke as he stood not mentioning the fact that it was driving him crazy and making him panic in turn.

"Ah thanks." Stiles spoke dumbly not know what else to say.

"It hurts a lot doesn't it?" Derek spoke quietly. Stiles nodded, the simple acknowledgement of his pain making it somehow bearable. No one had just said it out loud before and it was comforting.

"I never really mourned them, just kept pushing it away. Being here just brought so many memories back. Reminded me of things." Stiles spoke in clipped sentences.

"Let it out." Derek sighed. "It's hard but it's really how you heal."

Stiles was glad that it was dark, and that he couldn't see how pitiful he looked in Derek's reflection. He was also glad that someone was there and someone knew how crazy everything was. He pulled at Derek's shirt and smothered himself in a hug.

"It's so embarrassing to be this damaged." Stiles whispered against Derek's chest.

Derek stilled then responded

"That's one of the most honest thing's I've ever heard." He reflected, running a hand through Stiles' hair, smiles eyes fluttering shut returning a sigh of his own.

"But Stiles, you. We can't feel embarrassed about this. It was out of our control. We have to stop blaming ourselves for things that were out of our control."

"Tell me you didn't read psychology for dummies." Stiles joked bitterly.

"Actually no jackass. I was actually at Stanford studying psychological trauma and developmental psychology."

"Why did you stop?" Stiles asked quietly.

"I needed to be back here. Wanted to be back home." And Derek wanted to tell him that about the real reason but he couldn't.

"Who did you talk to?" Stiles asked quietly and Derek knew that he had cornered himself.

"My sister Laura. It was hard at first, but we only had each other so we had to talk. It eventually came out." He answered.

Stiles nodded.

"You're all alone too, aren't you?" Stiles whispered. He felt Derek's acknowledgment as he nodded slowly behind him. Stiles turned to face him and slung his arms around the bigger man's body. He held tightly and sighed onto his shoulder.

Derek was stunned at the motion, but returned the hug closing his eyes and hugging tightly.

"Thank you." Stiles whispered. "Derek if you need to, I'm here to talk. Like about anything." he whispered quietly.

Derek nodded.

"I saw your parents' bedroom."

Derek's eyes shot up. His lips spread thin

"Oh."

"They were really happy huh?"

Derek nodded.

"My parents laughed all the time too."

"Do you miss them?" Derek asked.

"I try not to think about it."

Derek nodded.

"I've done that for the past 10 years. It doesn't work" Stiles whispered quietly.

"Are you afraid it's going to hurt again?" Derek shook his head. "No. it's just sad. They wouldn't want me to mourn for this long. Need to move forward and look into the future. I learned that over the years." Stiles nodded wanting to ask why he still stayed in that small room with a bed that was clearly too small for him, filled with his child hood toys.

Stiles laid back down on his pillow and the two existed in silence for a long moment.

"How come the pack didn't live here?" he asked, wondering why of all moments he would inquire about that.

"They had their own lives, families, things they needed to do. I didn't." Derek stopped himself from saying what he really wanted to say.

Stiles gingerly tucked an arm around Derek's waist and pulled himself into another hug.

Derek slowly accepted the hug and closed his eyes and breathed in without thinking about it. Stiles scent filled his senses and he couldn't think straight for a moment. It was intoxicating. The pheromones sizzled against his nerves and shot jolts of electricity to his brain urging him to tell the truth. Just say it.

'You're my mate Stiles. I was born to be your other. You were born to be mine.'

But no. those words wouldn't leave his mouth. Not tonight.

On the other end of the hug was Stiles pondering his own thoughts. He could almost hear the word willing themselves into existence. 'Would you stay?' But they never came. And in a way he was glad. Things wouldn't change. It was easier this way.

"Gracie really likes you" Stiles whispered quietly.

"Yeah. I'm her alpha, she's bonding quickly."

Stiles nodded "oh."

"Sophia was her mother's name" he spoke again quietly, and even he could hear how Derek's heart beat increased for a moment.

"I see" Derek responded after a moment

"I should go to the police and turn us in."

"Not yet." Derek murmured "she still need complete her training."

"Ok. "

"Just a little longer." Derek whispered, his eyes closing again.

"So you sure you won't take her in?" Stiles persisted.

"It would make sense." Derek spoke slowly. "But she's bonded to you. She's your family. She would be miserable without you, as a wolf _and_ as a person."

Stiles yawned at how those words comforted him and rubbed his face into the pillow. He felt his eyes closing and he was lulled to sleep by the warmth of Derek's body heat. He woke up when Derek attempted to get out of bed.

"Mmm. Stay. Please?" Stiles asked quietly.

"Ok." Derek acquiesced in a whisper and laid back down.

Derek lay in the bed sharing the space with the drifting boy, his mind filled with new thoughts. One on end he was shocked and on the other he was scared at the words.

Stay. No one had asked him to stay.

The next day, Stiles woke up with an arm around his waist, pulling him into a strong chest. He felt a warmth breath on his neck and felt instantly safe and comfortable.

"Morning" Derek's voice came scratchy and hot.

"Morning" he returned.

"Sleep well?" The alpha asked observantly.

Stiles nodded. It was the first time that he had slept through the night in a long time. He tried not to think about the reason why but his stupid brain, realizing that it could go off high alert was now scattered and childish, thinking about fantasies and sexy innuendos. Not fun. Well kind of, but inappropriate none the less.

Stiles watched as Derek scratched his stomach, stretching out slowly, bringing a blush to Stiles cheeks and other body parts as he sniffed the air and walked out of the room.

XXXXXXX

Derek appeared in the living room and sighed, a few moments later Stiles heard the sound of a sports car in the vicinity.

"Gracie's back." Stiles murmured putting down his book.

Derek opened the door and the trio filed in plus Jackson who looked mildly uninterested in being at the alpha's house on a non pack night.

Gracie was wearing a colorful beanie and doing cartwheels as Lydia and Erica held out bags of new clothes.

"You guys really shouldn't have" Stiles spoke apologetically

"No problem" Erica returned. "A girl's always got to look her best you know."

Gracie giggled loudly. "Sty look!"

She pulled off the beanie revealing a fountain of black curls.

"You like?"

"What the hell did you do that for?" Derek growled looking disapprovingly at the ebony tendrils and directing his anger at his two female betas.

"Well we couldn't take her out looking the way she did so we gave her a little change. It suits her don't you think?" Lydia smirked running a hand through Gracie's hair.

"It's so pretty!" Gracie squealed happily, gripping Sophia against her chest.

"It's pretty right Sty?" She asked him hopefully

"Yeah you look amazing' Stiles smiled.

Lydia fished in one of her bags and pulled out a box of hair color. "I got one for you too Stiles." She pointed the box towards him.

"No." Derek chided.

"Oh come on Hale." Jackson spoke rolling his eyes. "You want to keep him cooped up like this forever? Let him walk around with the living for once." He propped himself against the wall ignoring the death glares shot at him by Derek, Lydia , and Erica.

They turned their gazes upon Stiles. "What do you think Stiles? Your choice."

"Can I?" He asked Derek tentatively and the alphas hard gaze faltered as their eyes met.

"If you want to do it, then it's your choice" he spoke stiffly, echoing his pack mate's sentiments.

"Awesome!" Lydia interjected, not waiting for further discussion which could very well lead to a 'no thanks.' "Let's get this show on the road." And Erica and Lydia pulled him into a bathroom, extracting the applicator and the bottle of dark colored liquid. Erica moved to the doorway to check that no one was nearby and shut the door even though everyone present knew that werewolves could hear a pin drop in the vicinity.

"So what did you and Derek do with your time alone?" Erica asked boldly as Lydia held his head with one hand and applied the dye in stripes across his scalp while Erica brushed it in with the applicator.

"Uh just watched some movies."

The two betas shared a look and Lydia spoke quietly. "Derek's really happy that you guys are here." She spoke quietly.

"He said that?" Stiles asked surprised, his heart giving him away with a skip.

"He doesn't have to say it silly." Erica supplied brushing along his scalp in an expert manner. "He's been infinitely nicer since you've gotten here."

"All done" she announced letting him look at himself in the mirror.

"Ok so the instructions say that you have to keep it on for 10 minutes and then rinse it out. I would take a shower if I was you. "

"So that the ink doesn't remain behind your ears" Erica added shooting Lydia a look that just screamed 'shut up.'

They left him in the bathroom and Stiles waited ten minutes and turned on the shower. He slipped in and let the hot water sluice his body, washing away the conversation and the night before. It was like he was the only one not being let in on a secret. He sighed letting the water do its job and running his hands through his hair. After the hot water had run out, he turned it off and stepped back into the bathroom.

He wiped away the condensation from the mirror and stared at himself, his eyes growing wide at the person who looked back at him. He had filled out, his skin glowing as a result of regular eating habits; his hair now longer and thicker was a dark raven color setting off his amber eyes against his pale skin. It felt like he was looking at someone new, someone hopeful, someone brave.

He got dressed and walked back outside to find the others lounging on the couches waiting for his return. Their eyes shot up to see him and everyone echoed the change.

"You look hot." Erica announced with an approving look.

He looked over at Derek and realized something. He immediately shot Lydia a look and she pretended not to notice what she had done. Clever girl.

Gracie rambled in and screamed in joy when she saw him.

"Sty you look so pretty!" She yelled jumping into his arms. "yeah?" Stiles chuckled looking at her similarly colored hair.

'I see what you did there Lydia' he thought understanding why Derek had seemed so weird before. They all had the same color hair and pale skin. They looked like they were the lost family members of the Addams family and in a weird way it made them appear more connected than they already were. 'Talk about being obvious in your intentions' he thought.

"Alright out." Derek demanded and the three stood, turning to go.

Jackson turned before he exited.

"We're having a get together, for under 20s. You're invited" he spoke nodding to Stiles.

"Oh ok."

"We're picking you up at 7 so be ready" Lydia smiled sweetly before turning to leave herself.

The three drove away into the afternoon leaving the three to themselves. Derek disappeared back into the house and Stiles and Gracie looked at each other.

"Let's play Sty!" Gracie smiled and he nodded.

XXXXXXX

The night came again like it always did and so did Stiles' thoughts. After a few hours of tossing and turning he gave up and headed down to Derek's room.

"Stiles?"

"No it's Santa." Stiles whispered.

Derek grunted his annoyance at the smart remark but made room for him and Stiles crawled in.

Stiles pushed aside the normal thoughts of, 'is this ok, what's going on? And what are we doing?' And settled in. before long he as fast asleep and the delicious lure of dreamless rest drew him into the werewolf's warmth. the next morning he found himself snuggled on Derek's chest and one of his hands wrapped around his waist, his ear lulled by the steady beat of the wolf's heart, derek's hand skirting his shoulder.

A voice in the back of his mind screamed. 'Too close, too close!' and he panicked.

He slipped out from under Derek's grip and walked to the door, he took one last look at the man sleeping peacefully, his normally perfect hair ruffled and soft. His mind snapped another mental picture s he closed the door.

Stiles padded upstairs, listening to Gracie's gentle breathes as he passed her room. He slid inside the cold sheets as the sun began warming the waking world.

Derek lay in bed listening to the two heart beats on the second floor, the smell of Stiles still lingering on the sheets. And this started a pattern. Every night Derek held Stiles until he fell asleep, offering comfort when he desperately needed it, his own body reacting and his wolf so content that he'd fall asleep bedsides the youth. It was soothing him on more levels than he would dare like to admit. He didn't want to come on too strong or too crazy. They had just reached a nice balance between normality and secrecy. A voice in his head was telling him that he had stayed too long, but another was telling him that he had finally found a safe place.

XXXXXXX

Derek rolled the cart through the aisles, filling up on the essentials, three cartons of milk, and one strawberry milk for Gracie. He found some colorful fruit rollups and tossed them into the cart thinking she would like them too.

Suddenly a cart swerved into his.

"Mr. Hale. What a surprise to see you here." A swarmy voice echoed.

He looked up to see Sherriff Corston smiling at him with that stomach churning grin of his.

"Sherriff" Derek countered with a curt nod.

"So how is real estate these days?" The Sherriff continued with a smile.

"Can't complain." Derek responded carefully.

"Good good. Always thought I'd do pretty well in the real estate business myself. Talking to people, driving around in a nice car. Must be the life. But I suppose I never had a rich family who disappeared in a fire."

"But then again your family has had its issues. You know the case files for both your sister and your uncle are still open right?" The Sherriff continued icily. "Oddly enough there are no leads. Don't you find that strange? I mean the last Sherriff was devastated when his wife was killed in the woods. Imagine a small town like Beacon Hills where a person's car breaking down leads to their death? Not very nice is it?" He continued, his eyes unblinking.

Derek stared at him in anger, imagining how easy it would be to kill the arrogant son of a bitch. His family had a painful past and he was throwing it in his face to get a reaction. The man smiled cruelly and pushed his cart forward.

"Well then, I'll let you get back to your shopping." He smirked. "Enjoy your fruit rollups."

"Thanks, enjoy your six pack" Derek responded without batting an eye, knowing that the police man couldn't sense the rush of anxiety that flooded his body.

The Sherriff reddened slightly but maintained his smile. "Thank you, it's nice to not be on shift all the time. I was getting tired of calling you into the station for questioning."

Derek's hand gripped the cart as not to do something more violent to the bastard.

"Well have a good night Mr. Hale" the Sherriff continued with a snarky smile. "Better get home before your strawberry milk gets cold."

Derek glared as the Sherriff moved to another part of the grocery store.

TO BE CONTINUED…..

**Notes:** What do you guys think? There's a lot of things going on right now! arrgh!


	11. Chapter 11

Red Like Your Eyes

CH 11

**Notes:** Things are coming together slowly but surely, thank you for reading!

"That dumbass Sherriff is not going to find us out there" Jackson sniped over the phone. "Besides don't you have to take Derrika out to get her adjusted to the full moon?"

"Derrika?" Derek repeated the name slowly.

"The little blonde girl everyone's going crazy over" Jackson continued boredly.

"Oh. Gracie."

"Way to get the joke." He replied flatly

"We have to be careful. Corston is getting suspicious."

"Stop worrying about it grandpa. He's going to be with us anyway. Might want to share him once in a while right?" Jackson finished.

Derek stiffened

"Shut up idiot."

"So we'll be there at 8. Tell him to wear something warm, it's still cold at night."

Derek emerged from his room and made his way to the living room where Stiles was curled up with a book and Gracie was coloring quietly. He watched as the raven haired youth flipped a page and pored over the words written on the new page until Gracie stood holding up the paper she was drawing on. Their hair illuminated their features and made them look so similar it was striking.

"What do you think?" She asked eagerly.

Stiles looked at the picture and smiled. His features squinted for a moment.

"Why am I standing so close to him?" He asked quietly.

Gracie giggled mischievously.

'Gracie. You can't show that to him" Stiles warned quietly.

"Ok. Do you like it?" Gracie pushed

"Yeah. I like it." Stiles smiled making Derek's cheeks flush from his view point.

"Do we have to leave" Gracie asked quietly.

Stiles put down his book, his face set in all seriousness.

"Yeah. We can't stay here forever."

Gracie pouted "Why not."

"Because it's too dangerous Gracie. We don't belong here."

Gracie crawled into Stiles lap with a sigh the smell of fresh salt reaching his nose.

He cleared his throat to indicate his arrival and Gracie's pout turned into a happy smile, even though they both knew that Derek had been close by the entire time. Her smile seemed even sadder to him because of it.

"So I just talked to Jackson and he wants to know if you would like to come with the others to go to a bonfire?" He offered oddly.

Stiles met his eyes. "Yeah sure."

"I'm sure you want to get outside for a bit. Not be stuck here with me." Derek continued with the grace of a tractor trailer.

Stiles nodded his face completive. "Yeah it'll be fun" he claimed quietly.

"They'll be here at 8. And uh. Dress warm, it's cold out."

"What about Gracie. And you?" Stiles ventured calmly.

"It's almost the full moon. She's going to shift whether she wants to or not so I have to teach her how to control herself when it happens." Derek responded looking from him to the black haired ragamuffin perched on the couch.

She jumped like a gargoyle grabbing his waist. Derek laughed and Stiles joined in. Gracie was utterly adorable.

Stiles nodded in acknowledgement and Derek turned and walked to the garage and shut the door. The words 'we don't belong here' echoing in his ears as he quietly slid under the Jeep and letting himself focus on the mechanical parts instead of the issues between them.

XXXXXXXXXX

The crescent moon shined brightly in the night sky as the pack and Stiles walked through the thick forest. The air was cold and smelled of wood and fresh leaves, the rustling of their footsteps echoing in the quiet darkness.

"We're almost there" Scott echoed from the front as they walked through the darkness, their superhuman eyesight making their path towards their destination possible without the use of flashlights.

The party finally arrived at a small clearing where the stars shone like diamonds in the night sky. Stiles had never seen them that close before and he was lost in the visage as the others set down coolers and a large blanket. Once everything was situated, Jackson and Danny disappeared into the forest.

Scott opened the cooler and gave each one of them a beer.

"Thanks." Stiles smiled.

"Of course" Scott nodded cheerily.

Suddenly an errant beam of light shone from their right and Stiles stilled his movements in panic.

"Don't worry about it, it's just Allison" Erica muttered giving him a look.

A moment later a girl with dark brown hair and sharp eyes appeared holding a flashlight and a wide smile.

"Hey guys." She spoke shutting off the flashlight and depositing it in her bag.

"Babe you could have called me and I would have walked with you." Scott chided quietly leaning over and giving her a kiss.

"Nah its ok, I wanted to practice tracking you guys" Allison explained her eyes landing on Stiles.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"I'm Allison" she said holding out a hand, Scott smiling as the two shook.

"Scott's told me so much about you" she continued taking a seat next to her boyfriend.

"Cool." Stiles resounded with a nod.

Jackson and Danny returned with their hands full of dry branches and logs. They arranged them in a large mound and began to set them alight.

"Alright time for s'mores" Erica smirked with excitement.

"Did you get the dark chocolate" Lydia ventured digging into the tangle of bags next to her.

"Yeah" Erica shrugged and rolled her eyes when Lydia made an annoyed sound.

"Erica, these are all milk chocolate, they're full of fat." Lydia grimaced

"So what, they taste better. Besides how many times are you going to have s'mores. Just enjoy them." Erica retorted opening up a large pack of marshmallows and popping one into her mouth.

The fire started and the sound of crackling wood silenced them all for a moment as they watched the amber flames lick at the night air, a small trail of smoke rising into the sky.

"Great job babe" Lydia spoke coolly as Jackson cracked open a beer and took a draw. Stiles caught Danny, whose tanned skin was glowing in the light of the fire smiling at him as he drank from his own beer.

Danny ventured towards him and sat down. He sniffed and subtly increased the space between them which Stiles thought was just strange.

"How are you doing?" Danny spoke, giving him a friendly smile.

"I'm doing good" Stiles nodded, tapping a hand on his beer bottle absently.

"So is Derek treating you better?" Danny asked quietly.

"Yeah. We were a little annoyed with each other at the beginning" Stiles replied with a grin.

Danny nodded and Stiles noticed that the previous light in the handsome man's eyes had slowly retracted. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off when Jackson hollered from the other end of the fire.

"Danno, we need more wood, you think you could manage?"

Danny nodded "Yeah, I'll go.'

He stood to go and Stiles offered "I can come help if you like" to which Danny shook his head and smiled.

"No It's fine, I'll be back in a sec." before disappearing into the forest killing Stiles' buzz and ego all the same time.

Scott plopped down beside him, draping a hand over his shoulder.

"Having fun?"

"Yeah. It's nice to be outside. And the view is pretty awesome." Stiles spoke staring up at the display of stars.

"Right? It's our favorite place."

Scott sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose.

"What? Do I smell bad or something?" Stiles asked quietly, now in concern.

Scott shook his head, "no it's just you reek of Derek."

"Oh." Stiles echoed wondering what that meant.

"We just have a really strong sense of smell." Scott acknowledged quietly, taking his hand off Stiles' shoulder as if his entire presence revolted him.

"Your girlfriend seems nice" Stiles spoke quietly, trying to change the subject.

Scott grinned widely, "yeah isn't she?" And Stiles smirked out a laugh which made Scott laugh along with him. They settled down and Scott gave him an expectant look. He spoke earnestly.

"Dude. Don't you remember me?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You don't remember me at all?" Scott repeated with a frown. "Beacon hills grade school?"

Stiles shook his head and stopped when a faint flicker of recognition latched onto Scott's eyes and easy grin.

"_Ottie_? Ottie is that you?" Stiles murmured his face a complete canvas of surprise.

Scott looked relieved. "Yeah, dude I was waiting for you realize who I was."

Stiles launched himself at Scott and pulled him into a hug, burying his face into his best friend's neck.

"I missed you too Stiles" Scott whispered sadly.

Stiles released Scott from his grasp, blinking away the tears that were forming.

"I'm sorry Stiles" Scott echoed quietly. "My mom tried to adopt you after everything that had happened but the system is so messed up that they had already relocated you by the time the adoption application had been approved. "

Scott picked at the label on his beer bottle "We tried to find you and get you but they said that you were already placed in a home and that you were happy. They said it would be best if you were left to adjust to a normal home."

Stiles snorted at that, shaking his head sadly. 'Normal home.' What exactly was a normal home, he'd like to know.

Scott squeezed his shoulder. "I'm just glad you're back."

Stiles nodded.

"You're going to stay right?" Scott asked hopefully and Stiles looked up to find Scott looking at him earnestly, just the way Gracie had done earlier in the day. It tugged at something deep inside and it made him ache.

"So how's ol' alpha?" Jackson yelled from over the fire as he roasted several marshmallows on a skewer, the delicious smell of caramelizing sugar wafting through the air. Danny and Erica chuckled at their friend and Stiles felt bad at how they treated Derek like an outsider.

"He's doing fine." Stiles responded.

"Yeah. He's been less broody lately." Jackson continued flippantly, "I'm sure you've had something to do with that huh?" He shot Stiles a dirty look and Scott growled.

"Shut up Jackson."

"What I'm just saying, he's been alone for a long time. Playing with yourself gets old after a while." And another peal of laughter rumbled through the group. Stiles cheeks felt hot, they were being assholes.

"Cut it out you guys." Allison snapped. 'That's really messed up."

"It must be strange to have to live with two other people after all that time alone" Erica added downing her beer.

"Yeah" Lydia echoed "He's been through so much. He's done things no one should have to do."

Stiles' heart froze.

"What?" He spoke quietly.

Allison looked at him, her expression slanted. She didn't look like she wanted to disclose anymore information but Jackson, now on his fourth beer spilled the details.

"His crazy uncle, who was certifiable by the way, my mom was responsible for his evaluations at the time. Anyway it turned out that he killed Derek's sister because she was the sole heir to the family fortune."

Allison shook her head. "Their family had such a sad story."

"Derek's girlfriend set fire to the house with the entire family inside when she found out they were werewolves" Scott whispered into his ear.

Everything fell into place.

"He killed his uncle didn't he?" Stiles spoke quietly.

"Not exactly killed. It was self defense I suppose. Peter came after the only remaining heir to wrap up the job" Allison finished taking a s'more from Jackson's out reached hand.

Well damn. Poor Derek.

"Which is why he comes off strange" Allison continued shooting the rest of the pack a reprimanding look.

"Says the hunter" Danny smirked.

"Hunter?" Stiles asked quietly.

"Allison's a werewolf hunter" Scott smiled proudly putting his free hand around her.

Stiles stared at the pair.

"Alrighty then" he conceded with an odd look not understanding the semantics or how one could be proud of his significant other being responsible for hunting you and your kind.

The pack howled in laughter in response and Stiles joined in. they weren't so bad after all. They all settled into a fun, conversation filled revelry filled with beer and whiskey shots. As the night progressed and he and Danny had exchanged a myriad of fleeting looks that were beginning to make him lose any sort of propriety, his liquid courage got the best of him and he ventured over to where Danny sat.

"How come you're not flirting with me" Stiles pouted sliding down next to him and totally infiltrating his personal space. His throat burning from all the alcohol he had just consumed.

"Because you're already taken" Danny spoke apologetically taking a swig of his beer.

"Says who?" Stiles snarked indignantly over the roar of the fire.

"Says your heart" Danny responded quietly catching his gaze.

"Oh." Stiles reflected, looking off into the dark, realizing that he like those stars were far from any resolution.

TO BE CONTINUED…

**Notes:** Thanks for reading and the wonderful reviews!


	12. Chapter 12

Red Like Your Eyes

CH 12

**Notes:** I had to split the chapter into two because it was too long. Enjoy!

Stiles watched as Erica's car drove off into the dark night and the quiet stillness of Beacon Hills resumed. He struggled upstairs, his feet dragging clumsily, like a freshly turned zombie and he tossed himself onto his bed, kicking off his shoes and finally crawling under the covers.

The conversation between him and Danny, albeit short had impacted him more than anything, like a ton of bricks right in his heart. The past few weeks had been insane, so many things transpiring that it was still making his head swirl with the constant twists into unknown rabbit holes. His heart, that muscle that hadn't really fluttered in years had awakened and left him in a tangle of emotions. Danny's statement seemed to have pushed everything he was trying to avoid right up to the forefront of his consciousness.

"Says your heart." Stiles murmured sloppily running a hand down into his pants. He sighed knowing that he couldn't fall asleep without the stupid man on the first floor.

"Stupid wolf." Stiles groaned as he felt his body reacting to the visuals that his mind had conjured from his memory banks, making him hot and bothered. The immense amount of alcohol he had consumed trying to keep up with the pack and their accelerated metabolism had left him loose and inhibited, even carefree and he decided to take inebriation by the hand and take a little dance. He stood and slowly padded downstairs, his mind floating in a happy daze. When he got to the bottom of the stairs he pulled off his jeans and thick hooded jacket along with his t-shirt leaving him in a pair of black boxer briefs.

He turned the corner and ventured to Derek's door, pushing it open slowly to find two red irises staring at him in the dark. For some reason they weren't scary anymore.

In fact they were kind of sexy.

"You have a good time" Derek's sleep riddled voice came.

"Mmm." Stiles nodded crawling into his bed.

"Good."

"Very good." Stiles echoed running a hand over Derek's bare chest causing the wolf to flinch at his touch. He turned while dragging Derek's hand around his waist so they were spooning tightly.

"Stiles what are you doing?" Derek spoke sternly.

Stiles tilted his head back with a quiet moan, arching his back giving Derek an open invitation.

"What?"

"Don't move." Derek whispered in warning, his voice choked. "Stay still. Just give me a minute." Derek spoke in a clipped tone into his ear.

Stiles smiled to himself. Didn't the stupid realize that he never listened? Stiles didn't know if it was the alcohol or just being so sexually frustrated that made him ignore the alpha's warnings but he didn't care. The wolf should have known that by now,

"You mean, don't move like this?" Stiles teased in a seductive whisper arching his back.

Derek let out a rumble like oncoming thunder, pressing elongated fangs against the soft skin of his neck.

"Stop."

"Stop what?" Stiles asked in a silky tone gently pushing back down and shuddering when he felt the thick length against his ass.

"Stiles" Derek growled quietly. "I told you to stop." He halted the boys movements but holding him in place tightly, on hand on his hips and the other around his chest. Stiles snickered drunkenly, was that all the alpha had? Stiles had been approached by worse; he turned his head slightly and licked the row of sharp teeth that had appeared making Derek shudder at the display.

He laid his head back on the pillow and bared his neck against the stubbled jaw the way he had seen Scott and the rest of the pack do breathing out softly like some sort of 50s pin up.

"Jesus _fucking_ Christ" Derek snarled, his wolf taking over, he yanked down the thin fabric of Stiles boxer briefs exposing his creaming soft flesh to the night air. Derek growled hungrily in need.

"This what you want?" Derek demanded "Huh? You want me deep inside of you? Making love to you till you're too tired to run?" He echoed into Stiles ear causing Stiles to lose the little control he had.

"Stup. Stuuu. Dumb wolf." He managed out. "All talk… no action." Stiles flushed arching back. And it was too much for Derek to handle, he was on the same drunken plane that Stiles was on, the boy's pheromones invading his senses and causing him to give in to his desires.

"So fucking disobedient. Never listening to what anyone says." Derek snarled pulling down his own pants, his member bouncing up in its release from its confines.

"Huuuurry stupid wolf." Stiles whined arching back again. "You've been wanting a piece since I got here. What are you waiting for?"

"Oh don't you worry, I'm going to be all the way in a minute" Derek muttered against his captive's skin, causing Stiles to moan like a harlot.

"Is this what you wanted? Me inside of you? That why you're always so mad? Or should I say sad? You need someone holding you? Taking care of you?" Derek growled lowly, the rumbling making Stiles' skin flush at the expressions of desire.

"Mmmm. hurrrieeeee. "Stiles sputtered, now drunk off Derek's arousal combined with his own.

"You could have just asked" Derek growled thickly, Stiles' increased desire making him lose even more control. He felt like he was drunk off the boy's sweet smell, his sense keening from the need and desire.

Suddenly Derek was all the way in. Stiles breathed deeply, adjusting to the fullness. "Oh my God."

"I'm inside you" Derek marveled against his neck, causing Stiles to tilt back and kiss his lips. "And I'm not going anywhere." Somewhere in Stiles' haze, the words struck him like arrows into his heart. He was there.

"Derek move" Stiles continued and Derek complied slowly moaning in and out at the sensations he felt.

"This is exactly what you wanted" Derek rumbled. "Is this why you're always angry"

"Yus. Always angree. You mean. To me." Stiles moaned loudly.

"No I'm not. I… you just push my buttons." And even as high as he was, he couldn't say it, he didn't dare. Instead he kissed along the boys nape, his hair, his groin, and inhaled his own scent off of Stiles' skin.

"This what you want? Me leaving my seed in you? So you'll have to stay with me? Raising my cubs?" Derek continued, the back of his mind telling him to shut up but his wolf pushing on, rebelling against its human counterpart.

"Yes. Want-you-to-trip. Trap me". Stiles hiccupped. "Want toooooooo stay. Withyou. Want ya to keep me." He dragged out in a string of incoherent babble.

And Derek was gone, the smell of Stiles arousal was covering him and his needs broke forward veering ahead like a runaway train. They made love all over Derek's dark bedroom in all sorts of positions, Stiles on his back, Stiles riding on top, Derek standing up, as Stiles rode him, their lips never more than a few inches apart, Stiles' name rolling off his tongue like the sweetest melody.

They kissed hungrily, Stiles even surprising him with his sexual adventurousness, Derek practically roaring into the night when he released inside him.

The lay spent, Derek panting like a dog, his tongue sticking out and his eyes closed after being pushed off the edge yet again.

Stiles smirked, his eye still glazed over from his buzz. He looked at the man next to him, his chiseled jaw, his stone wall of muscled perfection perfectly outlined in the rectangle of light that shone through the window, lit only by the same low hanging crescent moon that had followed him earlier through the woods. Stiles gently laid his head on Derek's chest, a tingle going down his spine as it realized how exhilarating it felt to touch someone who would never hurt him.

He bit his lip, the alcohol continued supplying him with liquid courage as he gently grasped Derek's length in his hand, slowly stroking it back to life.

Derek whined in protest though his body responded to every one of Stiles' touches. Stiles gently dropped sloppy wet kisses on Derek's body watching as Derek filled back out to full mast, his length standing proudly and he gasped as he felt Stiles body envelope him in velvety heat.

His eyes flashed open, bleeding red in the darkness of his bedroom.

"You little."

"Slut?" Stiles finished his thought with a purr.

"No. you're beautiful" Derek managed out looking into his eyes.

Derek watched as Stiles pleasured himself, his rough hands touching the soft skin, watching as Stiles groaned at his own movements.

He slowly took over, his body covering the boys, exploring his mouth in filthy tongue soaked kisses, until he drove the boy into a toe curling climax.

As dawn approached, they lay tangled up in each other, completely exhausted. Derek's hands holding Stiles securely so he couldn't escape.

XXXXXXXXX

Stiles woke up. Naked. And hung over. He didn't know what hurt more, his head or his body. He showered in Derek's bathroom and ventured into Gracie's room, her eyes opened immediately as he stepped in quietly.

"Hey you, time to get up."

Gracie smiled at him. "You smell happy."

"Um OK." Stiles responded groggily with a blush. She laughed flinging her arms around his shoulders.

"You guys were making monkey noises. Ooh oooh ooh." she exclaimed, imitating them.

"Gracie! No!" Stiles blushed in shock. Gracie laughed at him before pursing her mouth.

"Not funny" Stiles chided. Gracie nodded her head with a muffled smile.

They made their way downstairs where a tired looking Derek was cooking eggs and toast.

"Morning" Stiles muttered suddenly feeling awkward as the memories of the night before flooded back.

"Morning." Derek managed with a small smile.

Derek turned off the stove and laid everything out on the table.

"So I was thinking, we should go for a walk in the woods. There's a trail where no one goes." Derek supplied with a shyness that made him totally endearing..

"Sure" Stiles nodded.

They escaped out the back door and Stiles reveled in the fresh air as Gracie ran ahead of them, on all fours like some sort of human rabbit.

He turned to Derek who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Stiles wrapped an arm around him and smiled up to meet his gaze. "We're ok right?" he asked.

Derek nodded slowly.

"Ah I may have said some things last night" he started apologetically.

"Yeah. Me too." Stiles released.

"Are. Are you ok with what I said?" Derek ventured quietly.

"Mhmm." Stiles hummed resting his head on the man's chest, noticing how Derek's pulse quickened. They had skipped several steps in between but for some reason and Stiles liked it that way.

"I. I didn't think I could be with someone again." Stiles continued quietly.

Derek stilled.

"What?"

Stiles looked up. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"What do you mean _again_?" Derek pressed on.

"Calm down, I. Just had a bad experience that's all."

"What kind of bad experience?" Derek demanded now looking completely distraught.

"A. A guy who used to work for the juvenile facility forced himself on me. It was a long time ago. I know you're not like that."

Derek's already pale visage drained of any remaining color. His face looked like he had walked upon the scene of a horror movie.

He slowly pushed Stiles away.

"What the hell Stiles." He uttered slowly.

"What?" Stiles responded, looking worried.

"Of all the. Why would you do something like that?" Derek shouted in shock.

"I was trying to open up and share". Stiles cried angrily his headache pounding back at his outburst. And Derek looked distraught realizing that the runaway had actually stopped lying and he was shutting him down at the moment of such a revelation.

"What's the problem?" He asked trying not to let the tears fall.

"I forced myself on you!" Derek responded shaking his head.

"No you didn't. I liked it" Stiles cringed at the look of absolute horror on Derek's face.

"No. I mean I wanted it to" Stiles continued trying to make it better.

Derek ran a hand through his hair. "Why didn't you tell anyone what happened?"

'Because. It sucks. I hate talking about that kind of stuff. It reminds me how much bad shit I've been through."

"I thought I could never be with someone after that. I was still pretty messed up." Stiles explained not understanding why Derek had suddenly flipped out. He was being honest, he wanted to share something from his past and all it had done was make the situation worse, like it always did.

But Derek wasn't listening, he was searching for Gracie.

"Gracie" he barked "come here now." His tone so sharp that anyone who heard it knew he meant business.

Gracie appeared holding a string of wild flowers she was weaving into a head band the way that Erica had showed her. She looked worried.

"What?"

"Let's go."

"We just got here" she pouted.

"No questions." Derek finished curtly. Gracie stared at him and then turned her gaze to Stiles whose expression was now unreadable. The three walked quietly to the house, each minute of silence making Stiles feel more and more uneasy. And Derek finally spoke.

"Go to your rooms. Both of you."

Gracie started walking up obediently but Stiles stayed where he was.

"I'm not going to my room. Don't treat me like a child!" He said thickly. Derek crowded him and grabbed him by the hand, pulling him up.

"No. I'm not going!" Stiles yelled.

At the distress in his voice, Grace ran to them with a growl, showing fangs. "Let go of Sty!"

Derek glared at her, and she quickly retreated, averting her eyes in submission.

"Room now!" He boomed and she went to her room and closed the door.

Derek dragged Stiles and then when he was in arms reach he flung him neatly onto his bed and shut the door with a slam. Stiles kicked it, and tried the knob to no avail.

"You can't keep me in here! I'll scream for help."

Derek slammed Gracie's door shut down the hall and silence fell on the massive house. An hour or so passed and Derek opened the door trying to look anywhere but at him.

"Come out."

"No."

"Stiles!"

"No."

Scott popped his head in. "Hey man" and Stiles blushed at how childish he must have sounded.

"Hi."

Scott walked in and closed the door behind him, his eyes wary.

"Did he do something to you?" He asked quietly.

Stiles shrugged.

"Stiles."

"It's fine."

"You don't look fine" Scott furthered sitting next to him on the bed.

Stiles looked away uninterested in continuing the conversation. Scott sighed.

"Derek called and said that we should get you situated somewhere else for a while." He spoke slowly.

"You've got to be kidding me."

Scott shrugged.

"Just for a little bit. Gracie's almost ready to leave anyway." Scott mumbled quietly, a sadness echoing in his words.

Stiles shook his head bitterly. "Whatever" Stupid asshole. Of course she was almost ready to leave. Scott grabbed the small bag full of whatever clothing he had and walked downstairs with him.

He overheard voices.

"What the hell's going on Derek? I can smell him all over you." Lydia's voice came through, shrill and a little worried.

"Lydia now's not the time." Derek snapped tossing dirty dishes into the sink with a clatter.

"What do you mean now's not the time. Tell me you didn't."

"It's not like that. He's."

"I know exactly what he is. But you know it can't happen now. Could you imagine what would happen?"

The voices stopped and Lydia and Derek walked to meet them at the base of the stairs. Lydia smiled and gave Stiles a quick hug.

"Hey turn that frown upside down."

Scott grabbed Stiles' bag and Lydia led him towards the garage

Once inside he found a brand new Porsche SUV waiting for them, the windows tinted so dark he wondered how many parking tickets the driver had incurred for being that conspicuous. He stepped into the back seat along with Scott as Lydia slid into the passenger's seat opposite Jackson.

Jackson smiled from the driver's seat and Scott put his bags into the trunk as Stiles slipped into the back seat. The blonde beta crinkled his nose immediately, shooting Scott a glance that read 'what the hell'

"So where am I going to now officer?" Stiles snarked quietly, his irritation rising from Jackson's obviousness. Yes he smelt like sex and yes it was their alpha's sex that he had all over him. They all needed to get the hell over it.

"You're just going to hang out at my place for a few days" Jackson returned looking at him through the rear view mirror. As the garage door slowly rolled up and they pulled out, he watched as Gracie waved from her bedroom window. Stiles sighed and looked at the tinted forest outside, completely unsure of what to do.

They drove through the small town until the vehicle eventually slowed and pulled into a sprawling estate with its own gate. He watched as the gates opened slowly and Jackson slowly entered into a long driveway that lead to a spacious garage. When the garage door opened automatically, Stiles saw that several other luxury cars were arranged in display. Was everyone in the pack this loaded?

They piled out of the SUV and Stiles wondered if Jackson had his own bat cave somewhere in the enormous house. Maybe a change of scenery would be a good thing. Gracie would be able to control her wolf soon and they would be gone from this fucked up place. It was true what they had said back in the juvenile center; you can never go home again.

TO BE CONTINUED…..

**Notes:** I am blushing as I finish writing this chapter, smut is so not my thing so I hope I've done a good job at it! I hope you're enjoying the story thus far! What do you guys think?


	13. Chapter 13

Red Like Your Eyes

CH 13

**Notes:** It's been so long since I updated, I hope you guys enjoy and let me know what you think!

Stiles felt like breaking things. So he put his foot through anything reflective he could find. He really didn't care about incurring 7 years of bad luck since his track record had been so awful so far. The anger and fury boiled through his blood and every shard of reflective material made him hate the wrecked expression on his face even more.

He felt stupid, he had trusted and it had backfired, like it always did. How could he have trusted himself with that guy of all people. He missed Ottie. He missed Gracie.

"I hate him" He managed slamming a metal ornament into a small bedside mirror.

"I fucking hate him."

A moment later Jackson hurriedly opened the door.

"Hey man, are you alright?" he started warily, his eyes darting at all the shattered pieces of shiny glass over the ground.

"I'll get someone to come and clean this up" he spoke softly, closing the door behind him as Stiles stared out the window, his face etched with fury.

Afternoon turned into night and after several failed attempts to coax Stiles to watch a movie with him and Lydia, Jackson finally got Stiles to agree to have dinner with the two of them in the palatial compound. He knew Jackson was rich, but he had no idea that the mansion had a massive dining table like the ones seen in movies.

Stiles gingerly moved his food around his plate thinking through the process of leaving this hole of a town and heading to somewhere more metropolitan.

"Ah so. Sorry." Jackson spoke quietly.

"Huh?" Stiles looked up at the break in silence.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lydia offered quietly putting her fork down.

"Sure." Stiles responded, albeit bitterly "why is your alpha such a douche."

Lydia and Jackson exchanged glances and Lydia opened her mouth to speak and stopped herself. A moment later the sound of car approaching informed Stiles that they had guests.

Jackson excused himself and headed downstairs. A few minutes later he reappeared with Gracie in tow.

"She missed you." He shrugged, holding a small overnight bag. Gracie scrambled over to Stiles and crawled onto his lap.

"Stiles I'm sleepy' she yawned.

Lydia stared at the two of them with a small smile.

Stiles listened as the Camaro peeled out of the driveway and rushed out into the street with a frown.

XXXX

Stiles stared out the window once again, the woody landscape shrouded in darkness. His mind returned to what he needed to do. He had to get one last thing and leave this place once and for all. He could handle Gracie now, he was sure of it, she had gotten amazingly well adjusted to her new condition and was getting her wolf under control as they called it. They were good now. Maybe even better.

Stiles watched as two headlights turned on and Jackson's Porsche drove out of the gates and into the street, most likely taking Lydia home. As soon as the headlights vanished he put his plan into action.

He went to the spacious bed and gently nudged Gracie's sleeping form. She stirred.

"Hey wanna go get the treasure?" Stiles asked quietly and Gracie woke immediately.

"Yeah." She whispered, instantly breaking out of her drowsiness.

"Alright let's go." Stiles motioned and Gracie slipped out of the bed.

"Yay. We're going on an adventure" Gracie grinned.

The two ventured downstairs and slipped out the back door. As they traversed the massive courtyard he turned to his tiny partner.

"Hey G, are there any cameras?" Stiles asked quietly.

Gracie knew the drill.

She nodded, and pointed to the spots where the surveillance systems were hidden. "I can see them in the dark now" she grinned mischievously

Stiles smiled back "yes you can my little partner in crime." Before moving silently to the other wall.

Between his experience sneaking in and out of lockdown and Gracie's heightened senses, they were able to avoid the complex system easily and as he had done so often before, Stiles climbed the wall slowly, making sure he was covered by the shrubbery and vines.

Once he was over he waited and just like he had expected, Gracie jumped over it with ease, landing next to him quietly.

"You've gotten really good at that." Stiles mused, ruffling her golden locks playfully.

"Yep" Gracie grinned grabbing a hold of his hand. "Now let's go get our treasure."

It was a dark night but Stiles knew his way back home even without the help of a flashlight. They walked silently, Gracie slowly cataloguing every sound and noise with her now heighted senses.

The silence of the night seemed to release him for the depth of his thoughts, bringing his mind to the surface, bathing it in fresh perspective. Things had happened in his life and it wasn't his fault. He wasn't to blame. He breathed in the night air and let it out smiling as Gracie squeezed his hand to let her know she would be there.

At least he had one person.

XXXXXX

"You're a real asshole you know that Hale?" Scott fumed, ripping the label off his beer bottle and rolling it up in his hand.

Derek downed the rest of his own and opened up another bottle with a twist.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"I get where you're coming from.." Scott started.

"Do you?" Derek interjected angrily. "Do you any idea? He was molested and I." The alpha flailed around before slamming a fist into the counter, denting the granite and sending chunks of it to the four corners of the room.

"God damn it!" He groaned before shoving his fist in the ice tray.

"You want him right?" Scott shot back unimpressed by the display.

"That's not the point, there are more important things to worry about right now!"

"You need to talk to him. He's feeling really messed up, can't you see that?" Scott mumbled shaking his head.

Scott still remembered seeing the light leave Stiles' eyes when his mother had died and then seeing him withdraw from everyone when his father had passed away, leaving the little boy quiet and pale. Scott remembered Stiles when he had motor-mouthed his way into becoming his best friend and watching as his friend went from talking nonstop to not talking at all in a matter of months. When Stiles was taken away by the system and transplanted to a destination unknown, it had killed him inside. Now was the time to make it right as far as he was concerned. If Derek was going to douche out, he would be the one to give Stiles that helping hand.

It wasn't that strange however, that the two had found each other. Both of them had been messed up and there was obviously an attraction, even he had picked up on the latent smell of arousal emanating from the wolf and the runaway. Even the little one, with her developing senses could feel it, bless her little heart.

Derek was silent, his hand still buried in the ice tray.

"You need him" Scott finished crossing his arms. "And you're going to make it right D."

Derek shook his head. "No what we both need is some therapy."

"Or some sexual healing?" Scott smirked despite himself, thinking of the Marvin Gaye song that was one of Allison's favorite one-on-one time tunes.

"Shut up and get out" Derek scowled though his words didn't hold any real intent.

"I'm going to go see him." Scott finished, downing the rest of his beer and tossing the empty bottle at the alpha, who caught it without a second thought.

"What are you going to do?" Derek asked quietly.

"Be a friend. What else." His tone implying that the rest of the work had to be done by the one who had messed it up in the first place.

Derek gulped his beer, feeling it burn on the way down.

"Damn it." he cursed feeling the sting in his hand against the harsh cold of the ice.

XXXXXX

Stiles finally turned onto his street, the familiar smells and foliage somehow different than he remembered. The neighborhood had fallen into decay once the newer, more fancy condos and cookie cutter homes had been constructed. He walked quickly through the streets till he reached his boarded up doorstep. A weathered "For Sale" sign swung mournfully in the breeze and he resisted the urge to kick it hard.

"This way' Gracie pointed, and Stiles followed her into the overgrown backyard. She pointed to the back door and Stiles turned the door knob to find it open easily.

Inside he looked to see the interiors gutted with only the bare walls holding up his childhood memories. He felt wetness cascading down his cheeks as he remembered the spot where he had had breakfast with his father, the chair where he had story time with his mother, the fridge with all the funny magnets, the empty sink which had at one time been filled with pots and pans from their late night dinners.

His mind transformed to see himself sitting at one end of the same table eating with Derek and Gracie. Derek sipping on his morning coffee and reading the newspaper, absently grabbing a hold of him as he stood to do the dishes and pulling him on to his lap before pressing a kiss to his lips. Gracie smiling and eating her pancakes happily. His stomach knotted painfully.

Stop it.

He dry swallowed and shook the thought out of his mind.

"Sty?" Gracie whispered holding up her hands to be picked up. Stiles did as asked and his favorite person folded her hands around his neck.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah." Stiles mumbled back quietly. He moved through the house, trying not to see it for what it was but how it used to be before heading upstairs, ignoring the graffiti that was scrawled over the walls of the living room and stair way.

His heart panged nostalgically when he got into his own little room, the wallpaper decorated with little cars and airplanes, now faded and dull.

He ran a hand over it for a moment sighing.

"Ok Gracie, down for a minute" he whispered, depositing her on the ground.

He moved to the third wooden panel on the floor and lifted the corner of it, causing it to give way easily. He had found out about it when he was a kid and he had stored his treasure there so no one could find it.

Peering down, he saw his favorite things there. His mother's bracelet, his father's badge, and the silver toy car that had been given to him on his fifth birthday, all of them illuminated by an iridescent glow from outside.

"Gracie it's still here!" Stiles whispered excitedly. Come see my treasure.

Nothing.

"Gracie?"

He turned to see Gracie still sitting where he had deposited her, the little girls attention keened upon the full moon that shone down onto the town.

"Hey are you alright?" Stiles murmured taking a step forward.

Gracie shuddered violently on the floor, and screeched loudly, causing Stiles' ears to ring painfully; he cupped his ears as she continued screaming in a maniacal pitch that felt like daggers to his nervous system.

She suddenly stretched out, claws scratching across the wooden paneling.

"Gracie please stay with me!" Stiles cried and she turned, her eyes glowing like embers, her features more animal than human. She stalked towards him growling like a tiger enclosing on its prey.

"Gracie you listen. Gracie!" Stiles tried though the words got caught up in his throat, his heart beating so hard he could hear it in his ears, stifling any rational thought.

She roared loudly at him, canines bared. Then she stopped she turned and ran at the window shattering the wood that had been boarded up against it and then the glass before it in one fell swoop.

"Gracie no!" Stiles tried but it was too late, she had escaped into the night.

Stiles scrambled down the stairs, his stomach bubbling up like lava inside him. From bad to worse were the words that streamlined through his head. He crashed through the back door and made his way to the street and looked around.

"Gracie!" He yelled as quietly as possible to see if she could hear him. A light came on in the window of a neighboring house and he cringed, it would all be over soon, he would have to face it.

"Juvenile Hall here I come" he muttered in agony before running down the street towards the end of the road where the wilderness met civilization. 'Where do the wild things run?' he thought desperately.

"In the wild" he whispered before pushing his way into the thick growth.

He was a few steps in again trying "Gracie!" between cup hands to no response. As he ran deeper he bumped into something hard and solid, falling to the ground with a thud.

"Damn it" he groaned looking up to see who it was.

"Hey you alright?" Scott asked in a concerned tone holding a hand out which he accepted.

"Ottie! Gracie!" He managed his voice choked on fear. Scott pulled him into a fierce hug and he melted into it. It had been so long since someone had hugged him and he wanted to break down and wallow for a little bit, but he couldn't. What else was new?

"We'll find her I promise. I smell her that way" Scott pointed towards the road.

"Ok" Stiles managed and began following his childhood friend towards the row of houses.

"Stop' Scott managed, pulling him behind a house.

The two watched as a police cruiser drove down the street and parked in front of a house. Deputy Corston stepped out with his partner, who pointed a flashlight into the darkness, bathing it in a harsh light.

They knocked on the front door and it opened a moment later, revealing a frail looking woman in a bath robe.

"You the one that reported noises?" Corston drawled in irritation.

"Yes and then I just saw something. It looked like a rabid dog or a mountain lion. Maybe a wolf." The woman started.

The two police officers laughed derisively.

"Ma'am there are no wolves out here in Beacon Hills."

"Well I saw something!" the woman responded indignantly. "I don't feel safe!"

"Don't worry ma'am we got shot guns. Whatever you saw running around the neighborhood won't be alive when the sun rises."

Satisfied the woman nodded "thank you officer."

"Of course" Corston nodded before turning.

"It was probably a raccoon" his partner offered quietly. "She's off her rocker."

Corston glanced down the street with a grim look on his face.

"Keep your gun loaded at all times. We're going shooting tonight." He finished before sliding in to the driver's seat.

TO BE CONTINUED…..

**Notes:** Sowwie for my absence but I hope u like the story thus far! Aaargh! Poor Stiles!


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